Shattered Mirror
by Flamewing80
Summary: When Cain from an alternate dimension flees with the ruminates of the alt Earth into one which still thrives, everything is turned on its head for both Abel and Cain. Those who should be dead return. Those who should be the enemy are allies. Nothing is the same. It's up to Abel and Cain to figure out how to make their two realities work together in order to save Abel's Earth.
1. From Darkness

**Disclaimer:** Trinity Blood is owned by Sunao Yoshida.

 **Author's Note:** Hey, another au story!

Also, I have had this story started for a very long time now (only the first chapter mind you) but I decided I really wanted to post the story with my AU Cain again. There is another story up with him in it written by myself and Bluewing. However, there are going to be some changes with Cain's backstory.

So, a little on why I chose some of the characters I chose in the dimension the "good" Cain is from. These characters are the ones who have died in Abel's reality. The only one I wanted to ever meet the other self of was Cain. Thus, Vaclav Havel, Noelle Bar, and Lilith are the main characters alongside Cain from the alt dimension.

For those of you who had only seen the anime and never read the manga or the original light novels by Yoshida, Havel isn't entirely the same character in the series as he appears in the anime. They did get his personality right: his best friend is William and he does generally stick beside Caterina despite being the most powerful of the AX agents (yes, he is more powerful than Abel is some instances).

Havel actually joins the Neue Vatican, betraying Caterina when he kidnaps the pope. However, he does end up regaining his faith and returning to "good" giving himself to save Alessandro in the end. Thus, in Abel's reality Havel is dead.

Noelle dies the same way no matter which version we look at.

I hope you all enjoy this story. Despite having this chapter done for some time, it took a while to write because I am going off of the manga for the start of it.

* * *

Darkness.

The world was engulfed in an eternal night. Ash filtered down like snow, covering the barren ground in a thick blanket. Earth – Cain closed his eye. Earth had fallen to the unyielding rage of his brother. Cain bowed his head. The beads rimming the half mask he wore tapped against his chin at the movement.

The air pulled at his lungs. Cain breathed in the rancid, foul scent. A shiver raced through him. He could only breath up here because of the crusnik nano-machine within him. The world was lost. Without access to the lost technologies of Cain's youth there was no hope in restoring the planet. Perhaps, if the empire still stood, there would have been a chance.

"Cain?" a gentle voice asked behind him.

Cain turned. His gaze fell over another who had appeared from the tunnels. Golden-yellow eyes looked at him from under a hood. Strands of red hair fell from under the hood and over the scarf protecting her nose and mouth.

"You should rejoin us below. Even our kind shouldn't try to last up here."

Cain bowed his head. Pain shattered his heart. The world really was lost. After so many centuries spent fighting to preserve the world, it was gone just like that. He took a small breath, the rancid air drawing in over his tongue. The taste fouler than even the scent of decay.

"We should have been able to stop this," he muttered.

"Cain." The weight of her hand against his shoulder, just under the armor guard, felt as if the entire world was pressing down upon him. There was no comfort in the touch.

"We should have been able to save him." Cain's hand balled into his fist. He could feel his nails biting his palm even through his thick, white gloves.

"There was nothing any of us could have done. 02 destroyed him long ago."

Cain shook his head. "I," he trailed off, eye half closed. She was right of course. He nodded and turned. "Let's go."

He followed her down into the dark tunnels. The darkness swallowed him. Then, light appeared. The two of them exited the passage into a small cavern. The remnants of both humanity and the Methuselah were there, far too small considering the size of both groups before this mess had broken out.

"We found something of interest," one of the priests told Cain as he and the woman approached him.

"Will it help protect the people, Havel?" Cain asked, looking at his fellow priest.

Father Vaclav Havel stood about Cain's height, his posture straight, and brown gaze locked on Cain. Flecks of gray could be seen in his thin bread. Outside of this, Vaclav could almost pass as a man in his early thirties instead of early forties.

"I don't know, old friend." Pain passed over Vaclav's eyes. He was no doubt thinking on William, one of their closest friends who had passed in the early waves of attacks from the Orden. "It's this way." Havel turned, his long cape bellowed out behind him. The thick material covered in a light armor at his back and down the sides of his arms. Vaclav had been the ranked one AX agent, Caterina's second.

Sorrow lanced through Cain at the thought of Caterina.

Cain forced himself to focus on following his oldest remaining friend. The light sound of footsteps told him the woman was following after them. He supposed a member of the imperial family wouldn't hurt to have a long either.

Their group exited in a smaller space. Most of the room was taken up by an ancient power source. Rust covered the metal; yet, Cain could still hear a soft hum of power from the old hardware.

What drew his eye, wasn't this, but a mirror. The mirror dominated the entire wall across from Cain. It had tarnished as well. This wasn't the oddest matter about the mirror. While it did reflect the room, it showed nothing of their image even as Cain and the woman approached behind Vaclav.

"This technology," the woman whispered. She moved over to the power source, removing her hood as she went. Her long, red hair fell behind her as a cape. "Cain, it's from the UN." Her gloved fingers traced a faded marking on the side of the device.

Cain frowned and glanced at her before returning his gaze back on the "mirror," if one could really call it that. "What is it reflecting?" he muttered to himself. He moved up to it. He reached for the surface of the mirror. He expected his gloved fingers to be greeted by cold, hard glass. The surface rippled under his touch.

Cain moved forward a little. His hand passed through the mirror.

"Careful," Vaclav warned.

Cain frowned. "I'm going to see where this leads."

"Father Havel did just tell you to be careful," the woman scolded.

"I'm not a child, Lilith," Cain muttered to himself. Louder he continued, "If this leads to safety, it's worth the risk."

"And if it doesn't, we lose the one person who can stop _him_ ," Lilith reminded Cain.

"You're a far better fighter than I am." Cain glanced at Lilith. "I'm going." He stepped forward. The surface pulled at his skin and clothes. It felt as if he were passing through goo.

Then he was free of the mirror. Cain stood back in the room he had just left. Darkness pressed down on him instead of the light which had been in the other room. He turned. The mirror stood before him once more.

Instead, of his reflection, it showed Vaclav and Lilith both watching him. Vaclav's lips moved to show he was speaking, but no sound came to Cain. Cain read his lips instead, "Are you all right?"

Cain nodded and then pointed to the passage behind him to tell them he was going to explore a little.

Lilith folded her arms across her chest, gaze disapproving.

Havel nodded. "We'll stay here. Come back quickly," his lips moved to say once more.

Cain nodded to show he understood. He turned and moved up the passage. The cavern was the same as the one the remnants of the people were sheltering in. Only this cavern was empty.

What was this place?

Cain quickened his pace. His armor clicked with the movement as he raced up the passage. The cold night slammed into him. The air fresh and untainted. It smelled almost sweet, mixing with the normal sea air blown in from the coast. Cain closed his eyes and drank in the fresh air.

This wasn't the Earth he had just left. He opened his eyes. Sure enough, in the distance, he could just make out the lights of Londinium.

Relief spread through him. This Earth had food, water, and breathable air. This Earth could save the few of them which remained on his Earth.

Cain raced back to the mirror and passed through it. Excitement raced through him. Their people were saved.

"Gather the people," he instructed Vaclav as he exited the mirror.

Vaclav frowned. "What did you find?"

"Salvation, old friend." Cain felt himself grinning as he placed his hand on Vaclav's shoulder. "Salvation."

Lilith frowned. "Explain."

"That mirror leads to another dimension," Cain explained to them. "Another Earth. One which hasn't been destroyed. They have food, water, and breathable air there. It's a mirror world."

Worry flashed in Lilith's eyes. "We shouldn't just rush to another Earth. Just saying it sounds insane, Cain."

"There's nothing left for us here but death." Cain looked at Vaclav.

The priest frowned then nodded. "We have to take this chance," his voice was calm, smooth, and steady. He moved back through the passage to the main cavern, leaving Cain alone with Lilith.

"It's the only way to protect those who remain, Lilith." Cain moved over to her. He didn't make a move to touch her. Centuries and bad blood between them had destroyed whatever kinship there had once been. All which remained was the memory of their time as children and promise Cain had made to his nieces. "Gather your people, Lilith. If for no other reasons, then for the future of your daughters."

Lilith looked him the eye. Her jaw tightened a little before she turned and left him standing alone in the room with the dimensional mirror. Cain followed after her.

The next few hours passed in a haze of activity. Cain helped gather what little their people had. Vaclav went through the mirror first to show the people it was safe. Cain stayed on the side of their dimension, checking to make certain they had everyone. He then set a few charges at the power supply of the mirror before he passed through.

"To make certain no one follows us," he told Vaclav and Lilith once he had joined them.

Lilith glared at him and opened her mouth to protest. In the same moment, Vaclav nodded. This was all Cain needed. The charges went off. The mirror in the new Earth flickered before going dark.

"A few of us should head to Londinium," Cain started as he turned to look Vaclav. "We might be able to barter for enough food for tomorrow."

The priest nodded. "Agreed," his voice was sullen.

"Lilith," Cain stated with a small sigh, "stay here with your people. I'll speak with Noelle and leave her in charge of those from human territories who remain. Vaclav and I can gather the supplies."

Lilith moved off without another word to him.

Cain let out a low breath. _Women_. He rubbed his eye, feeling the familiar metal over his left eye instead of flesh. "Shall we?" he asked his oldest friend.

"It would be for the best."

x – Abel – x

Abel kept up the quick pace set by the cloaked figure he was following. His mind raced with thoughts of doubt over who Esther believed this man to be. After all, Captain Spencer hadn't been worried about him when she had spoken with the man.

A soft nose made the man pause.

Abel stopped and hid himself around a building from the man. Though, he suspected the man already knew Abel was following. The way he moved had pointed to the fact he was a Methuselah. Also, it had become clear this was a man Abel was following. The person who had attacked he could have sworn had been a woman.

Abel let out a low breath.

The nose came again. Abel straightened and glanced around. It was the sound of metal clashing.

"Run!" a voice sounded from the next alleyway over.

There was something almost hauntingly familiar about the voice. Abel shifted. He could move from here and see who was speaking or remain hidden. To blow cover or not to blow cover? That was the question.

Abel took a deep breath. He moved around the corner. There was nothing there, not even the man he had been following. Abel moved over to the alleyway he had heard the noise coming from. Two figures in priest robes vanished down the other end. He could just hear them arguing, but the words were drowned by distance. Their voices; however, felt familiar.

Abel raced after them. He paused as he caught a familiar scent. It was impossible. He had died three years ago during the rise and fall of the Neue Vatican. Horror chilled Abel to the spot.

"Know Faith," he whispered the familiar codename, "Father Vaclav Havel." This wasn't good.

Abel stared at the street ahead of him.

The scent could only mean one thing. Somehow his body had been recovered or someone was running with something of his. "Or he's actually alive!" Abel hammered his fist into his palm. He had voiced this aloud more to stir himself from his own shock. He laughed. "Na, that's impossible."

Yes, it was impossible. Abel took a deep breath. The scent still lingered in the cool, Albion night. It was just in his mind. Havel was dead, killed in defense of Brno even if he had aided the uprising beforehand as well as kidnapped his Holiness. He had redeemed himself to Abel at the very least, even if Caterina and William had to erase everything which related Vaclav back to the AX. Vaclav had given his final breath for the people.

Abel closed his eyes. He shook head. "Havel died," he repeated. He had watched as Havel's life support systems had failed, as his Holiness had held the dying priest. "He's dead."

Yet, as he drew in another breath, the scent lingered in the air. Abel opened his eyes. He had to make certain he was just imagining things. If he followed the scent trail it would lead to answers, right?

Abel took a step forward to do just that. He paused.

Esther. She had asked him to follow a cloaked figure, a figure Abel had now lost. If he told her he had been following a dead man she would think him insane. It was insane. Havel was dead. He was three years dead.

Abel shook head. "Well, I lost the cloaked man anyways. Time to give up and go back to the palace." He nodded to himself.

Tomorrow the pope was arriving as it was. And, right then, William was away from the palace. It was for the best Abel returned to protect the saint as it was. He let out a small breath.

"What a pain," he muttered to himself, "now I have to come up with an excuse which doesn't involve dead men walking to cover why I lost that cloaked man."

Abel set off towards the palace. He had time to think on what to tell her at least. In all likelihood, Esther would be asleep. So he had until tomorrow.

x – Cain – x

"We shouldn't have done that," Cain snapped. He landed on the roof of a nearby building. He glared at Vaclav as the man gracefully floated down to join him. He had dropped the attacker off with a cloaked figure who worked for the Albion military.

Vaclav smoothed his robes. He gave Cain an even look.

Cain shook his head.

"Oh, hell!" A sudden familiar voice exclaimed below. "That's right the professor stuck me with all the paperwork!"

Cain moved to the edge of the building and looked down. He was in time to see a familiar figure race down the alley they'd just left. His long, silver hair whipped out behind and he stumbled.

"C-Caterina is so going to kill me!" the priest vanished down the next street. His path was taking him towards the palace.

"Caterina?" Cain frowned. "But she was killed when the Vatican was hit." He looked at Vaclav.

Know Faith's gaze was glazed with pain. "As was William," there was something almost hallow in his voice. Granted he and Professor Wordsworth had been good friends for as long as Cain had known them.

Cain looked back towards where the priest had vanished. Perhaps his eye and ears weren't playing tricks on him after all. Perhaps that had been Abel, the Abel of this dimension. Pain and joy washed through him.

"It would explain why this world is such a better state," he whispered to himself.

Vaclav straightened. "Then that was _him_?"

"I would assume so, but this matter will require further investigation." Cain turned to Vaclav. "Return to the others with the supplies. I'll remain here and see what I can ascertain about this dimension."

Vaclav nodded. He lifted the bags they had left on the roof before going to help the woman. His form flickered for a moment then vanished. It would be faster for him to fly there unnoticed.

Cain returned his gaze on the alley. "All right, Abel, let's see where you were heading." He leapt down. The scent of his brother hung in the air. It was him after all. A priest of all things. Cain bowed his head. "How odd."

Abel had never been religious. If anything, he had hated religion for out casting them for existing. Granted, he had hated most things when they'd been children.

This would be interesting. Cain straightened.

* * *

 **(Author's Note:** Some of this chapter was taken from manga 48. However, Abel's reality and the story changes from there on out because of the appearance of Cain from the alt world. Let's just call him alt-Cain. Also Cain never goes insane or losses the fight with 01 in the alt world. **)**


	2. Twin Image

Cain kept his distance as he followed his twin through the streets of Albion. It was all too clear he was heading for the palace. People justled him from time to time, seeming to not care they had hit him and Abel himself didn't react as he would have in Cain's reality – by taking off their heads. He didn't react at all just kept moving, head down and shoulders hunched.

This really wasn't the brother who had been consumed by 02 then. Yet, there was something almost broken about the way Abel moved. Lingering sorrow with each shuffled step he took.

It wasn't the Abel he had imagined seeing if their positions had been swapped. And there had been many, many times Cain had wished he had been the one to the nano-machines took over his brother.

" _We could still take you_ ," 01 said in a cheery voice which echoed through Cain's skull.

Cain ignored them. There was no point in giving them a reply.

" _No fun_ ," a pout settled into the tone of 01's voice. " _You're no fun, we don't like you. Fun killer_."

Silence followed these words.

 _Thank god_ , Cain thought. 01 was so annoying.

They were nearing the palace when Cain heard twin pare of footsteps following him. He stopped. A small breath escaped him when he caught a familiar scent.

"Mother thought you wandered off, Uncle." An arm wrapped around Cain's shoulders. He was pulled down a little. "I thought it wise to track you down to make sure nothing happened to you." The woman winked. Her golden eyes sparkled with mischief.

"Lilly," Cain bit back the urge to snarl at her. "You should have stayed with the others.

"Where's the fun in that!" she huffed and straightened. Her arms folded across her chest now.

Lilly Nightlord was Lilith's younger daughter. She looked like a cross between her parents right down to her skin color. Her hair was the same silvery blond as Abel's while her eyes were her mother's. Her skin was several shades lighter than Lilith's but too dark to be the same as Cain. She stood at the same height as her mother.

She looked so much like Abel though with her hair. Abel had managed to fight 02 long enough to help name the girls before he at last lost the fight for control of his mind and body.

Cain swallowed passed the lump forming in his throat. Guilt and pain flickered in his heart. He had been the one to fuse Abel. To save his brother's life. He had grabbed a random Crusnik and thrust it into Abel's heart. So, his brother could live to see his daughters. So, his brother could just live.

In his selfishness, Cain had stolen the real Abel from his nieces. He had been the catalyst which had destroyed their Earth and lead them to this one. His sister, before she had died at 02's hands, had been right. It really was all Cain's fault.

Lilly huff. "Honestly you have the 'I blame myself' worry lines forming, Uncle Cain." He pulled at his cheek. "Smile a little. You and that priest friend of yours found us this new Earth. Have a moment and just be happy."

Cain brushed off Lilly's hand. "Is your sister still with Lilith?" he changed the subject from himself. His voice betrayed none of the pain which had swept through him.

Lilly closed one eye, an almost smug grin on her face. "Nope. I managed to convince her to stop wallowing and follow after me."

Cain glanced around. His lips twitched. "Where is she then?" the question almost hissed from between his teeth. Damn. If Lilly had lost her older twin, Lilith would blame Cain.

"I thought she was just behind me." Lilly turned, scanning the crowd.

Cain turned. His eyes widened, breath catching in his throat.

Abel had stopped dead in his tracks, head up staring at the unmistakable figure of Elizabeth.

"Ha," Lilly gave a smug laugh, "see I didn't lose her." She raced towards Elizabeth, not even giving Abel a glance. "Bethy, I said stay by me, not run off as soon as we found our Uncle!" She stopped before Elizabeth.

Cain groaned. So much for keeping a low profile. He seethed as he moved after Lilly. Though, he shouldn't have been shocked. Elizabeth had always wanted to know her father. She had been like a shadow to the foul tempered 02 when she was a child. She had done everything to try and prove herself to her father or who she believed was her father when 02 had destroyed Cain's hotheaded brother long ago.

Pain was etched across Elizabeth's face. "I killed you," she whispered. It sounded as if she had repeated this a few times, each time softer than the last. "You can't be here. This can't be real."

Cain stopped. He hadn't even drawn level with Abel yet. What had he done? This was cruel to Elizabeth beyond all belief. It wasn't her father before her. This Abel wasn't the man she knew. The man she had killed.

"Come on, Bethy, we found who we were looking for. Let's head back." Lilly's tone was soft, almost gentle. That of a mother trying to cox a child to do something. "The others will be worried about us by now."

"I killed him," Elizabeth whispered. She seemed unable to hear her sister's words. "I killed him."

"Bethy." Lilly started to guide her sister forward. She stopped level with Abel. "Sorry about her, Father," – she called him by his priest rank – "my sister and I just got a little lost. That's all. She doesn't mean anything about what she's saying." Lilly pushed Elizabeth over to Cain.

"Were going," Cain told them. All his annoyance at the stunt Lilly pulled lost at the shattered look haunting Elizabeth's eyes.

He moved so his nieces were before him. There was no way he would risk losing sight of either of them.

Once they were out of the city. Cain turned to Lilly. "What were you thinking?" he demanded. "We know nothing about this reality. Or even how that Abel would react to seeing any of us." He glared at his youngest niece.

"Then why were you following him?" Lilly demanded, hands on her hips. She glared up at Cain. "Did you think he's like the one from our reality when he's dressed as a priest with glasses? _Glasses_ and a priest!" Her eyes flashed. "Last I checked mother always said dad had the best senses out of all four of you. Meaning he would never need glasses!" Her eyes narrowed.

Cain opened his mouth. She had a point but he wasn't about to go around admitting it. "You still shouldn't have come looking for me. I was gathering more information on this dimension. We are strangers here."

Lilly's eyes narrowed. "We're not children, Uncle Cain!" she hissed. "So don't go around treating us like we are." She took a step towards him. "I look old enough to pass as your twin sister!"

Cain scowled. "You're not, you're my niece. No matter how old you get nothing will _ever_ change that fact!"

Elizabeth shifted. "He's right, we shouldn't have come," her voice echoed with pain. Eyes hallow as she looked at the ground. "I might have wrecked everything by seeing dad – I mean that version of him."

Cain felt himself soften. "It's not your fault." He made to touch her shoulder but withdrew his hand.

A soft sound greeted his ears.

Cain turned. No!

A familiar figure stepped into view. His glasses flashed in the light of the two moons.

Abel.

He lifted his glasses and let them fall so they hung around his neck beside the cross. His wintery gaze flickered between the girls before resting on Cain. Red rimmed his eyes. Yet, he made no move for his weapon or activate the crusnik as if he knew something was wrong. As if he could tell they weren't from his reality.

"Who are you?" Abel half demanded, half growled the question. One hand moved wrapping around the cross he wore. "Why do you – do you two look like Lilith?" Pain dripped from his voice.

Lilly huffed. "That's a stupid question. We're her daughters of course!"

Air hissed between Cain's teeth at Lilly's response. That was no way to speak to this Abel. There was no telling if the girls had ever even been conceived in this reality.

x – Abel – x

A sharp ringing pierced deep into Abel's ears.

Daughters?

He took a step towards the all too familiar girls. They shared so many of Lilith's traits, he shouldn't have been shocked to hear they were related to her. There was something more, something familiar about them on another level. His mind flickered to the drawings he had made long ago of his lost daughters. They looked just as he had always pictured they would. Yet, what if they were illusions? Images conjured by 02 to trick him as 02 had done before back on Mars when Abel had first activated them.

No – he took a deep breath – they had to be real. Abel had never pictured them as being older than ten. He couldn't bring himself to see them grown when he had never seen them in the first place.

Abel reached the small group. The girl closest to him was the one who had his hair. His hand trembled as he lifted it. If she wasn't real, then what? He couldn't bare the thought of seeing them, grown, only to have it ripped away as an illusion.

His gloved fingers touched her warm skin. She was real. She was _alive_!

"Lilly?" the name slipped from his lips as a breath. His eyes burned. He felt himself smile. He drew her into an embrace, unable to stop himself.

She was alive.

They were both alive.

"Um, okay, I am more than a little creeped out now," Lilly stated. Her breath warm on his ear from the closeness of the hug.

Abel stepped away from her. His gaze moved from her to the woman with Lilith's hair and his wintery eyes. The woman he had first seen and made him want to follow this group. Abel longed to draw her into an embrace; yet, he knew all too well the shattered look in her gaze. The look which reminded him all too much of himself after losing the both of his girls and again after Cain had killed Lilith.

"You already know my name?"

Abel looked back at Lilly. "I do," he stated, none of his normal goof act coming through in this moment. "Yet, I don't know how you and Elizabeth are here now."

His gaze moved to Cain. In the same instance, this man wasn't the brother he remembered. He wore priest robes and eyepatch which covered about half his face, moving around his nose and mouth. His hair was neat as it had been before the fusion with 01 rather than the mess it had turned to after. He stood there in silence without a stupid grin on his face. Instead he wore a rather grim look with a calculating glint to his visible eye.

Cain straightened a little. "As you've no doubted guessed, we're not the same people as you would have known," he stated. Not even a trace of the annoying cheer in his voice. "We came from another dimension, one which the Earth was destroyed."

Lilly leaned back a little. "This might be easier to explain if we just took him back to where the others are," she pointed out.

Elizabeth shifted a little, her gaze down cast. There was an air of unease in her frame and glittering in her eyes. She didn't speak.

"I don't know," Cain confessed. "The others might react poorly to his presence."

"But he's not the Abel of our reality," Lilly protested. "Mother will understand at the very least. Her people will follow. And you can explain it to your people, Uncle Cain."

Mother? Was Lilith alive as well? No, it wouldn't be his Lilith but one from another dimension. This meant there would be none of the same shared moments with his beloved. She might not even have met Aran or heard all about Azul. There was no telling just how far the differences were between this reality and the one this good Cain came from.

At the very least, Abel knew he wouldn't be able to share memories with Lilith about the girls' childhood.

Abel forced himself to take a deep breath. He had to be ready to see those he knew to be dead. Like with what had happened with Vaclav's scent earlier this evening.

"All right," Cain relented, "but stay close to me. I don't want the group attacking you outright."

Abel eyed this version of his brother. He wasn't too certain he wanted to be close to any version of Cain. Yet, he had to remind himself, this Cain hadn't killed Abel's daughters. He hadn't killed Lilith. All three of them were alive in the reality this Cain came from.

Abel nodded and fell in beside Cain. He restrained the urge to glance at the priest Cain. Instead, Abel looked at the two girls. In their reality, they had lived. Lilith had lived. Their Earth had been destroyed. If their timelines matched up, then this Earth would have been destroyed by now as well.

If it wasn't Cain who was seeking to destroy the Earth of that reality then – Abel looked away from the girls.

"I killed you," Elizabeth's soft words rang in Abel's ears from when he had first been stopped by her. His daughter had been forced to kill the him of their reality. Also, he hadn't heard anything about Seth from these three.

"What about the Seth of your reality?" Abel asked, breaking the silence. "What became of her?" His gaze moved to Cain.

Cain didn't look at Abel. "Perhaps we should save this conversation for when we see the others. There's no need to explain everything twice."

Abel bit back the urge to scowl. Such a simple question being dodged made it clear something had happened to his sister. Well, the her of this Cain's reality. Seth was fine in the empire right now.

Silence pressed down on the group. Abel fell a little back from them as they walked. Soon Lilly joined Cain and started to chatter up a storm. Abel did his best to block out what they were saying. He would have to drop back further to have their words lost though.

"He seems so different from the him of our dimension," Lilly whispered. "You used to tell us stories like mother did about how he acted before 02 fused with him. But this doesn't seem like those stories at all." She kept going on and on about how Abel wasn't hot headed.

Cain didn't speak. There wasn't an opening for him to do so as it was. Though, he did glance at Abel. It was clear he was checking to see if Abel was still following. Abel paid Cain little notice. His gaze lingered on the twin girls. Or women as they were now.

They were grown. And he, he wasn't their true father. The other Abel from that dimension was. Could his girls have grown up to be like these two if they had been given the chance?

Cain silenced Lilly with a raised hand. The group paused. Then Cain entered a small passage which lead downward. Lilly followed.

"Come on, Bethy," she called over her shoulder.

Elizabeth hesitated and glanced at Abel. Pain flickered in her eyes before she hurried after her sister.

A small breath escaped Abel. The pain echoed his own. Neither of his – of the other Abel's daughters should ever have known such a deep, scarring pain as to lose everything but a few and a single dream. He shook his head.

"I still don't know the full story," he muttered to the night. Then took another deep breath and followed after Elizabeth.

Darkness wrapped around him followed by the cool scent of earth and damp stone. An acidic scent of fire soon cut through the soft scents of earth. The passage lightened before widening. Abel stepped out into a cavern.

No more than a few hundred people were there, if not fewer than a hundred.

Abel's gaze skimmed the crowd before coming to rest on a small group closest to him.

Cain stood within the group as well as the two girls.

Air was knocked from Abel's lungs at the sight of who else stood among this group. Ghosts seemed to have risen from the ashes of a haunt past and stood, living, before his eyes now.

Vaclav Havel and Noelle Bor were there. Both had died three years ago. Noelle within the silent noise incident in Barcelona. Vaclav during the uprising of the Neu Vatican. Yet, here they stood, alive and well. Perhaps this really was a mirror world. Those who should have been dead were alive.

Another stood with them.

Abel forced himself to look away from her. It was all too easy to see blood dripping from a severed neck. The boyish and cheery face of his twin as Cain held her head up by his hair and the Earth framing him.

It was in the past. This wasn't the same Lilith. Abel closed his eyes and forced the images down. This Lilith had never known the pain of losing their daughters. There had never been the moment which had torn them apart. The fight which had followed the start of the war. Well, so he assumed.

Abel opened his eyes when he heard a sharp intact.

One of the people had drawn a weapon. The gun shook as it was pointed at him.

Abel just stared at the person. He knew his expression was flat if not pained. He had faced far worse than a gun. It was the fear which tore into his heart. It was fear he loathed to see in the eyes of humans and Methuselah alike as they gazed at him. The emotion which frightened him the most, which made him stick to the act of a fool just so people wouldn't be scared of him.

"I-it's him," the man stammered. "B-but you d-died. W-we all saw it. You-you were killed." He gripped the gun with both hands. The cooler draining from his features.

"That's not the same Abel." Cain stepped up to the man and forced him to lower the gun. "He's from this world. This dimension."

The man relaxed a little. "You're certain he won't kill anyone, Father?" the man asked, looking to Cain.

"Yes." Cain looked at Abel. His eye reflecting the seriousness of this matter. "Right, Abel?"

Abel fought the urge to act as goof and say "how rude? Assuming I would kill someone." He figured this wouldn't ease the tension in the cavern only increased it. Instead, he said, "I won't harm anyone here. I promise."

The man just nodded. Though the fear lingered in his gaze. He moved back to his family and gathered them. They moved further into the cavern.

Perhaps the act would have helped a little.

Noelle and Vaclav approached. There was cation in their eyes, none of the warmth Abel knew from the two who had passed three years ago.

He let out a shuddering breath. He had failed to save the ones he had known. "I believe your dimension is mirror one," Abel stated after a moment. He had glanced around for others from the AX. There was no sign of any of them, not even Caterina. His Holiness was missing as well. In fact, the only one Abel knew to be alive was Cain. This was only because Seth had told him their Cain had survived and slowly restored himself over the past eight hundred years.

"Explain." A slight frown had appeared on Cain's face.

"Sister Noelle Bor code named Mistress passed in action three years ago during the Silent Noise incident in Barcelona," Abel recited, pain echoed through him and trickled into his voice. "Father Vaclav Havel," – Abel looked at the other founding member of the AX – "passed a few months later during the rise and fall of the Neu Vatican, giving his life for his Holiness." Abel's gaze moved from them to Cain. He bit his lip before looked back at the two allies and friends he had lost three years. The two he had been unable to save.

No matter what Caterina had told him. He still blamed himself for losing Noelle that day.

He was also careful to only tell the partial truth about Vaclav's death. Only Caterina, Alessandro, and Abel were aware of the full truth behind what had happened that day. Vaclav was a traitor to the Vatican where everything else was concerned. He had still kidnapped the pope and help the Neu Vatican.

"All right what else makes you believe this outside of what happened to Sister Bor and Father Havel?" Cain asked.

"Perhaps it is a longer story than a few words." A familiar voice sounded.

Abel looked towards it. Sure enough Lilith had moved to join them. It was her. Yet, she wore none of the gold Abel had given her while he had ruled as the original empire. There was little wealth on her at all. She wore a simple dress and henna. Outside of this there was nothing was the same about her. Even her hair was far too short, falling just passed her shoulders instead of well passed her waist.

It was still her.

Abel forced down the rising agony swelling in his heart. Her gaze held none of the warmth and love she had once looked at him with. There was only a coldness to it. This above all else told him, she wasn't the beloved he had lost eight hundred years ago aboard the _Ark_.

"Come." Lilith gestured for him to follow.

She led the four of them to the closest fire where Lilly and Elizabeth both sat. They were sharing a rather merger meal.

Abel was careful to sit a little apart from them. Their lingering gaze was hostile with mistrust.

"By your expression, I take it something happened to the me of his reality," Lilith started, "and your Cain had something to do with it." Her gaze board into him.

Abel bowed his head. His hand wrapped around his beloved's cross. Given this Lilith didn't recognize the cross, there was too much which had changed. "Yes," he confessed. "Eight hundred years ago, at the end of the human-Methuselah War, you – my Lilith and I were to meet aboard the _Ark_ for a peace meeting to end the war. She was the representative from the Vatican. Seth decided to come along.

"When we arrived, it was to find her dead, Cain over her body." He glanced at the girls. They didn't need to hear all of this. "I managed to get him over the airlock. Seth activated it and he fell to Earth."

"So, I am dead in this reality?" Cain asked.

"No." Abel looked up. "Given the reaction of that man when I entered, I'm actually assuming our places are swapped in your dimension. You were driven insane after the fusion with crusnik," Abel explained.

"Insane?" Cain gave a small, almost pained smile. "So, 01 won the fight then."

Abel frowned.

"02 took control of you in our reality," Lilith told him. "You fought them for months, years even, but gradually they won. One message from you was 'all deals are a lie.' I still don't understand what you meant and 04 has never been open about it."

Cain shrugged in response when Abel glanced at him. "I am assuming the me of his reality is then really 01 with my own conscious and personality lost to the nano-machines." Cain looked at him. "Was I the one fused to one hundred percent in this dimension?"

"Yes."

"Then, perhaps this is a mirror world after all. Either way, the world seems to be have been far better with you in control than not."

Abel couldn't meet Cain's eye. Better? It was laughable really. Sure it wasn't destroyed; yet, he had still killed millions. He couldn't save anyone he cared about. Peace was only coming through Caterina's efforts.

"—can't stay here forever." Abel was drawn back to the conversation by Lilly's voice. She was glaring at Cain. "We need drier place to stay. Beds, more food, and safety."

"I doubt people would believe you're from a mirror world," Abel told her. "And a few people here wouldn't be welcomed in the Vatican. I doubt Albion will be open to receiving refugees."

Lilith frowned. "Surely Queen Esther—"

" _Queen_ Esther?" Abel cut her off. "Bridget is the current ruler of Albion."

"Bridget stepped down when her granddaughter turned sixteen." Lilith frowned. "Esther has been Queen of Albion for two years now."

Abel coughed. He had a nagging feeling she was referring to the Esther he knew. The one who had been left to the church as a child. He pulled out an old tattered note book. He kept photos tucked into a split cloth of the back cover there. He pulled out the one on top.

"This queen wouldn't happen to be the red head in this photo, would it?" he passed the photo to Cain.

The photo had been take when they had been in the empire. Seth had wanted a reminder of the moment. Abel had been dragged into the photo. It also showed Asthe and Ion. Seth wasn't in the image, having wanted it to be of the those four who had served the leaders to get this far in the peace process so far.

"Yes, that's her," Cain confirmed as he passed the image to Lilith. "I don't know who the boy or woman are though. Lilith?"

Lilith shook her head. "No, I only recognize Abel and the queen." She looked at Abel. "If you're friends with the queen you could put in a good word for us."

Abel took the picture. "Er, just one problem, Esther isn't a queen. She's a sainted sister. She was raised by the church." He cleared his throat. "Though the empress might be willing to help if I can convince Caterina to get word to her."

"Empress? As in Empress Nightlord? Your sister." Lilith gave soft laugh. "You could just call her Seth, Abel."

Abel let out a breath. So they hadn't been forced to change their surname in the other dimension. "No, as in Empress Augusta Vladika."

Lilith frowned. "What happened to Seth?"

"She is Seth," Abel explained. "It's complicated but the Nightlords had to vanish after your – I mean, our Lilith's death in order for an unstable peace to come between the Vatican and the empire."

"What happened for this to ever have to happen?" Lilith asked.

"And what are you going by then?" Cain added.

"Nightroad. Abel Nightroad. I don't do too good if I had changed my first name as well like Seth did." He looked at Lilith. "As for what happened, that is far too long a story for one night."

"There is another problem as well," Vaclav started. "You said Sister Noelle and I are dead in this reality, it wouldn't do for us to wander around then. But we need people to head out for supplies. If others here are dead in this reality, then what?"

"It's unlikely many people have met Cain." Abel nodded to his brother – sort of brother. "From what Seth told me when I was in the empire, _he_ – the one of his world – has only just started to recover from falling to Earth."

"In that case I should be able to move freely as well," Lilith stated. "If I died eight hundred years ago."

Abel shook his head. "Most humans remember you. And I know the Methuselah do from what I read in the history books while in the empire."

Lilith blinked. "Why would they?" she asked, frowning.

"She is the Black Lady Saint," Abel explained. He didn't explain further, instead continued on, "Outside of those here, only your daughters would be able to set foot outside without notice."

Lilly jumped on this. "Why is that? Does it have to do with why you looked like you were going to cry when you hugged me?"

Perhaps Abel shouldn't have spoken. He managed to look at Lilith and the two girls. His girls he had lost. Two before he could ever know them and one to betrayal. "Because," he started, "you both died when Lilith was fused with 04."

* * *

 **(Author's Note:** A special thanks to Bluewing for giving me a few ideas for the girls' backstories.

Also, this Elizabeth isn't the one from VV, rather Abel's blood daughter who died in this reality during the events of Divergent Path. Same goes for Lilly.

I just realized, in the alt world without Aran and Azul, Ion wouldn't exist. I don't know how Caterina does, but we will let that one slid. **)**


	3. Into the Ghetto

**I wanted to say in honor of the return of my first reviewer, but they reviewed Past of Lies not Shattered Mirror…**

* * *

Elizabeth looked at the man who was the image of her father.

Died?

The word rung in her ears. She and Lilly were dead? But, that didn't make sense, he had known what they looked like. He had recognized them. To have died would mean they weren't crusniks as well. To have died when their mother had been fused with 04 meant instead they had been fused with the Bacillus.

"Died? How?" Lilly demanded.

"You knew us, though," the words slipped from Elizabeth as a breath. Pain welled in her heart, sharp as a blade against tender flesh. "If we died when mother was fused," she trailed off.

Abel shifted. His gaze had dropped. "Lilith and I," he started, "wanted them to have the best chance to survive on Mars. Even though the Bacillus wouldn't fuse with the two of us, we decided to fuse the two of you before you were born. Back then only three of us had been fused with the crusnik.

"Our understanding the nanomachines was very limited. All we knew was the Bacillus was aiding the colony in both the civil war and surviving in the harsh environment of Mars. We believed the Bacillus would give our daughters a chance to make it through the war alive."

Their mother frowned, golden gaze thoughtful. "How was I fused in this reality?" she asked, voice a little too harsh.

Elizabeth winced as her mother's tone was a whip across flesh. This wasn't the same father they had lost centuries ago on Mars. 02 clearly hadn't taken him. Yet, their mother seemed unable to see this.

Abel looked up, his gaze on Uncle Cain. It was enough to know what had happened.

"Uncle Cain did?" Elizabeth breathed the question. She glanced from Cain to Abel and back.

"That's ridicules, Uncle Cain would never harm mother or us."

Cain shifted a little. His gaze was uneasy as he glanced at Lilith. "Not in that way, no," her uncle agreed. "I wouldn't do it, but zero one would."

Elizabeth frowned. She had never understood the struggle the older crusniks had against their nanomachines. She and Lilly had been born as crusniks and aged up until they awoke in their twenties. 05 and 06 where apart of them, they understood Lilly and Elizabeth. The two new crusniks had been born when 04 had been forced to multiply to accommodate both their mother and the two of them.

Elizabeth didn't know how 01 even acted. Her uncle had always been in control of the nanomachines. The only matter she had to go off of was 02's personality verses the personality of her father in stories she got from the time before she and her sister had been born. And now this man before her.

Abel's eyes narrowed. "You're saying zero one has been in control of _him_ for nine hundred years, then?"

"You were the one who pointed out this was a mirror world. Given you're in control and your stating Cain went insane here, then it only follows," Lilith pointed out.

"I would never willing harm my nieces," Uncle Cain informed Abel.

Warmth spread through Elizabeth. Her uncle had been there up until her aunt had betrayed him to Albion in order to the war between the world and the empire. It hadn't bought them too long of peace though.

Fire raged across the land as her father had woken, sparking war among humans and Methuselah once more. And Elizabeth, she had joined her father. She had wanted to know him so badly, to just be accepted and acknowledged by him she would have helped him in anything.

Then – Blood bored over her hands. A raw scream filled the ashen air. She shoved forward harder, wings beating as she pressed 02's container deeper into her father's chest.

He was bleeding. The wounds unable to heal as they fell towards the ground. Black skin metaled away to pale white, His eyes shifted from red to wintery.

Wind rushed around Elizabeth.

"Dad!" She reached for him trying to slow their distant. 02's container slipped from her blood covered hands. It fell towards the earth as fast as they were.

She couldn't slow him.

Couldn't stop him.

The sound of a body striking the ground rang through her.

No!

She landed and raced towards her father's crumbled form.

He hadn't moved.

No! What had she done? It was meant to save the him which had been trapped. She had…

Her eyes burned.

She had killed him. Her own father. For nothing.

Elizabeth shoved the memory away. She blinked until reality came back into focus. Her eyes were locked on Abel.

Abel took a deep breath. "No matter what or who is in control of the Cain here, he needs to be stopped." Abel stood. "And I need to return to the palace."

No. He couldn't leave, not when they were just starting to get to know the man their father would have been if he had never been taken by 02. Elizabeth glanced around. Wasn't anyone going to stop him?

Her mother just nodded. "It would be for the best you left," she confirmed. Her gaze shifted to the people.

Elizabeth followed her mother's gaze. The people were shifting further from them now than before. They didn't trust Abel despite him not being from their reality.

Her uncle stood as well. "I'm going with you then. We need more supplies and a better understanding of this world."

"I'll go too." Elizabeth got to her feet.

"Then me as well!" Lilly leapt up.

"No, Lilly," Uncle Cain told her. "We can't have too many of us going outside. I can explain why your sister is with us but not both of you."

Lilly scowled. "That's not cool, Uncle Cain. I should be able to help too."

"And you will, by helping your mother protect your people."

"Fine," Lilly huffed.

Elizabeth glanced towards Abel. Her heart stopped. Where—? Her father – no, the man who looked like her father had started off.

Elizabeth rushed over to him. She opened her mouth to speak, but the words lodged in her throat. Blood covered his face and hair, his twisted body lay motionless on the ground before her.

No!

Elizabeth squeezed her eyes shut. He was alive beside her, not dead. He wasn't dead.

The sound of racing footsteps came to her. Her eyes shot open. The familiar scent of her uncle wrapped around her in the darkness of the tunnel. It wasn't anyone to worry about it. A small breath escaped her.

Yet, there was nothing she could smell from Abel. His scent was different from the one she knew so well from the man of their reality. There had always been the scent of metal and blood which clung to him, now, she couldn't even detect him as they moved through the darkness. There wasn't even a sound of his breathing or footsteps. She knew he was ahead of her by the slightest light coming in to show his silvery hair.

The sun seared Elizabeth's eyes as she exited the tunnel. She let out a breath, annoyed with how bright it was. Like all crusniks the sun didn't hurt her until she was at a higher activation, but this didn't mean she wasn't annoyed by it.

Abel had paused, a slight frown on his features. He muttered something in an old dialect which sounded like a curse. He replaced his glasses and started off across the land at a quick pace.

Elizabeth was forced to run to keep pace with his long, quick strides.

"What's wrong?"

x – Cain – x

Cain exited the tunnel. Abel was almost running across it.

Great.

He took off after his brother and niece. "We need to stick together," he said as he caught up and fell in beside Abel.

Abel didn't reply.

So much for a chat. Not that Cain blamed this Abel. The man had just learned 01 had hold of his brother all this time as well as other reveals. There was no telling what Abel was thinking or feeling in this moment.

Abel slowed his pace as they entered the city. The glasses looked off on him, but Cain didn't comment about this, despite the fact they didn't need glasses. The only time Cain had was for reading before the crusnik nano-machine.

" _Yep, you're welcome. Give us control now, please, for healing your eyes_ ," 01 whined in Cain's mind.

"Why are we rushing?" Cain pressed.

"His Holiness would have already arrived at the palace," Abel explained. "I was supposed to return hours ago." There was no sign of a scowl. His voice sounded off, higher even.

Abel lead them at a fast pace through the crowded streets.

The gates were already open wide when the palace came into view. Cain raced after Abel into the palace. Something felt off as they entered. The tingled with unease and Cain doubted it had anything to do with the three of them.

Cain stopped dead in his tracks. His heart froze, breath vanishing as his eyes fell over a man who should have been dead.

"William," the name fell as a breath from his lips. This, it couldn't be.

"Professor!" Abel raced over to William. "Are Esther and his Holiness at the regatta?"

Regatta? Cain supposed normal actives would be going on here instead of panic over the end of the world. Still, he hadn't expected to hear about a regatta, let alone the queen and pope being at one. All right, so Esther wasn't queen in this reality, but still…

William smiled around his pipe at Abel. "You're rather late, my friend." William straightened, his eyes on Cain and Elizabeth. "Who are your two friends?"

"Ah," Abel looked uncomfortable. He cleared his throat. "I'm going to find, Esther!" He whipped around and started towards the palace entrance.

"You won't find her or his holiness at the regatta, Abel. They're in the ghetto."

Abel stiffened.

All right. None of this was making sense to Cain. He had heard of an underground for the Methuselah in their reality which was called the ghetto. What the heck would his Holiness be doing down there?

"A few matters have come to light. You remember the reporter who was giving Sister Esther problems the other."

"Yeah…" Abel scratched his head. He was acting very oddly.

"It turns out Esther is actually the lost princess of Albion."

Abel frowned.

"She and his Holiness ended up in the ghetto some time ago. I was waiting here for you—"

Abel raced off down the hall.

"Abel!" William called after him. "Honestly." The professor started after Abel.

"Come on." Cain gestured to Elizabeth before he followed after the two of them.

"You need to wait, we can't access the ghetto," William seemed to manage keeping pace with the crusnik ahead of him. Granted, Abel was running at a human's speed. "And who are the two following us?"

"They're here to help," Abel shouted back.

Cain shivered as they stopped at one of the many entrances into the underground.

"Abel," William started, "we need to wait for a few of the soldiers from Albion. They will be able to aid us in getting below."

Abel was typing something on the small panel by the door. If it was anything like the one in their reality, then it would activate for Abel in this one.

"I believe he already has an access code," Cain stated.

" _Recognized_ ," the machine stated.

"Where was Esther last seen?"

William explained the area to Abel.

The doors opened.

Abel raced into elevator. "William, you should wait for the backup," Abel stated. "These two and I should go ahead."

William bit his pipe and smiled. "Very well."

Only once the elevator closed and they were starting down into the ghetto did Cain break the silence between himself and Abel. "What was with the way you were acting?"

"All you need to know is I will act like a goof from an order the previous pope gave me."

"Why?" Elizabeth asked.

There wasn't time for Abel to reply to this. The elevator came to a stop. Abel raced off down the hall without delay.

A small breath escaped Cain before he gave chase after his brother. It seemed they were going to be spending the day running after one another.

Cold wrapped around Cain as they passed through familiar haunting halls. They were the same and yet different from when they had been children. From even when he had been kept as Albion's pet in their reality.

The voices echoed through the halls. There was hint of panic in them.

Abel picked up the pace. It was hard to hear anything over the sound of their racing footsteps.

The area shook.

"It sounds like their breeching the ghetto."

"William did say there was no way down here," Abel pointed out.

"True." Cain kept pace with his brother of this reality.

The three of them rounded a corner and entered a small room which looked as if it should have been sealed. Instead the door was open. Cain could hear footsteps echoing down the passage.

"Father!" the sound of the queen's voice made Cain turn his attention to those in the room. There were four people there. A young girl who looked no older than six maybe seven hid a little behind a boy who looked to be Alessandro or the Alessandro of this reality. His Holiness was kneeling over another man who looked to have been knocked out. The last was the unmistakable figure of the queen, Esther. Well, he supposed the sister as it was in this reality.

Her eyes widened when she caught sight of Cain. He frowned. She knew him.

"Lord Cain, what are you doing down here?"

Abel stiffened. "You recognize him, Esther?"

"Yes."

"Where? Where have you seen him before?" Abel grabbed both of Esther's shoulders, his eyes wide with panic.

"He and his butler helped me back to the palace the other night," Esther informed Abel. She looked at Cain. "You remember, right, Lord Cain?"

Cain blinked. "Sorry, Sister, but I'm not the same Cain."

Esther frowned, eyes narrowed. "You're not being funny," she stated.

Funny? Ah, it had to do with 01 given 01 controlled the him of this reality. "Allow me to explain," Cain started. "I'm not a lord nor have I ever had a butler."

This didn't seem to do anything to convince Esther.

"Dear Lord," Cain let out a small breath. He straightened. "Perhaps this will help convince you." He reached for his half mask. "I doubt the Cain you met has this." He removed the mask, feeling as the cloth pulled against the tender, scarred flesh there. He opened the eye.

The color drained from Esther's features. She shifted a little behind Abel as her gaze locked his eye and face. Half of his face was scarred from when Cain had been forcibly fused and torchered by 02 with 01. His eye had healed the moment the crusnik had first activated, locking it in the form of the red slitted gaze of his crusnik form. The skin was also far more sensitive to light as was the eye. It was one of the many reasons Cain kept on the half mask. The other was he hated seeing the horror and fear when people saw the disfigured side of his face.

"Lord," Esther breathed.

x – Solomon – x

Solomon clasped the cuffs of his over coat. He soothed the thick material of an imperial noble's coat. A noble's coat. He had never once imagined having to return as a noble to aid in keeping the little balance there was in the empire. All of his descendants were gone. Killed. Or worse, traitors.

His fingers slipped from the cuff. His own blood had betrayed the very empire Solomon had helped build. His hand lingered on his old ring. A ring he had passed to his son. A ring which had been pointed at the one person none of his blood should ever attempt to kill: Seth.

At the dawn of the empire, Solomon had worked tirelessly to both secure their people's place in the world as well discover away to keep his promise to Lilith. He had promised her he would always be there for Seth and for Abel. With the aid of another scientist, Solomon had been able to make a serum which made him the only immortal Methuselah. Since then he had worked in the shadows within the empire proper and sometimes outside of it to aid his love in keeping peace with the terran within the empire.

Now…

Solomon took a deep breath in through his noise. He felt his lungs expand. Imperial noble clothing was very different from what it had been well over eight hundred years ago. He had grown used to wearing lighter clothes to help hid him in shadows.

During Suleyman's grab for power in nearly killing Seth, Solomon had been within the shadows beside his beloved, keeping his head low while she acted more in the open. He had moved from the guard to even a commoner or slave in order to keep Seth one step ahead of the Orden.

It had been his hope, after Suleyman's death at the Duchess of Odessa's hands, one of his other decsendents would be able to return and take over as the Duke or Duchess of Tigris. This hadn't happened. The only ones still related to him in the empire was Astharoshe Asran. And she had enough on her plate without handing her another part of the empire to oversee.

Less than a week ago, Solomon had agreed to come out of the shadows and service his empress, his greatest love, in the open once more. To take back his position as the Duke of Tigris.

There had been but one option left to him and Seth, have Solomon come out of the shadows. To reveal one of the first generation of Methuselah, one of the very founders of the empire still lived. To be a stabilizing force for the empire and ground their people back into their sureness with their empress.

It was notch in the plans to get Abel to return to the empire. One more matter which now stood in their path. Both of them wanted him back. After all, Seth had stated many times she was holding the throne for when a Nightlord returned. But only he knew she was a Nightlord. The youngest of the three siblings. She was holding it for the first ruler of their people. For Abel Nightlord, the man who had led them safely through the Civil War on Mars, through the famine which had followed, and back to Earth. Who had seen them through two wars and given his very freedom for peace to be forced between the Vatican and the Empire.

A peace which was still slow in coming but would. With it, they would get Abel to return to his rightful place here in the empire.

"My lord," a small voice sounded from the door and interrupted Solomon's thoughts.

He turned to see one of the servants standing in the door, bowed low. "I came to get you ready for the meeting with the empress." The servant straightened. "But I see you're already ready."

Solomon slipped on his gloves and took the ring. "I am," he confirmed, voice even.

It was time then. Time for his first mission as a duke rather than an agent in the shadows.

Solomon headed for the door, he lifted a case he had set near it.

"My lord, would you like me to place that with the rest of the luggage?"

Solomon looked at the servant. "No." His grip tightened on the handle of the case. It contained a gift for the emperor of their people. He wouldn't let it be placed with luggage. Let alone let anyone but Abel and, of course, Seth see what resided inside.

Solomon entered the carage which would take him to the palace. He had been staying in the estate within the capitol. Nothing would see him to the main one and away from the empress's side.

It was time to for his first appearance before other nobles as well.

The carriage moved through the familiar dark streets of the empire. Though the sun had started to rise beyond the protective shielding, the empire remained dark as the depths of night. The streets held few people, warping up business as the imperial night settled on the world.

He didn't need to look out the window to know the patterns of the people.

Soon the carriage drew to a stop.

Solomon exited still carrying the case.

"My lord, I could see the case onto the airship, it would be—" the servant cut off when Solomon looked at him.

"I would never harm my empress," Solomon's voice was soft, his eyes narrowed as he looked at the servant. Solomon strode passed the servant and into the palace proper. He knew where Seth would be waiting for him and the other two nobles she had summoned.

Sure enough, Seth was waiting in the throne room. Her veil and hat off for this evenings visit. The three she was meeting with already knew her face. Most of the empire did after the betrayal of Suleyman.

As expected, Solomon was the first of three nobles selected for this mission to arrive.

Seth turned, her brilliant green eyes softened at the sight of him. "Solomon," she paused and took a deep breath, "Duke of Tigris."

The greeting was formal though emotion laced her voice. A tenders he had never heard her speak to any other.

Solomon knelt before his empress. "My empress."

"Seth," Seth corrected. "You of all people should never call me by title."

Solomon moved the case so it was between them.

Seth's eyes widened. "Is that?" She moved towards him.

Solomon stood and opened the case so she could see inside.

"You finished it." She ran her hand over the sheath of the sword which lay within the fine, silken clothes. The sheath which bound the blade was made from black leather and covered in an intricate design of silver. The intertwining silver brands looked almost like vines wrapping around the black. Blue sapphires were imbedded closed to the hilt and at the bottom of the sheath.

The hilt gleamed in the light of the room, wrapped with a hand and half grip and leather for comfort in the wielders hand. It covered the tech which draw from the user's genetics. The hilt held sapphire of pale, almost icy blue.

"May I?"

Solomon bowed his head.

Seth gracefully removed the blade from its case. She partly unsheathed it. "It's beautiful and far superior from the first one you made him." She ran her finger over the blunt of the blade and the engraving there. "He had better like it." Seth returned to sword to the case.

"Hopefully not because it cost a fortune to make it," Solomon stated.

Seth laughed. "No, because I want him to come home." She looked at him. "It's part of the peace process." She passed him a letter addressed to Caterina. "He will come home if he wants peace to come."

Solomon didn't smile at he closed the case and took the letter.

The doors opened.

"Of course, your majesty." He bowed low, returning to being formal now others were in the room.

Seth narrowed her eyes, a slight scowl on her face at his return to formality. The expression softened and straightened as she turned her attention to the two newcomers.

Both stopped and bowed to Seth before they straightened.

"S-Suleyman!" the boy with blond hair shouted as he pointed at Solomon.

Solomon felt his eyes narrow. Great, this again. He was getting sick of people calling him "Suleyman." While his so called descendent looked a lot like him, there were differences as well. For one, Solomon's eyes were dark where Suleyman's were a pale gray.

Seth sighed. "No, Count of Memphis, this is Solomon." Seth's lips curled into a playful smile. "Right, Machine Admiral?" she teased him.

Solomon gave her a small smile. It was a familiar taunt. Centuries ago, the nickname had annoyed him to no ends. It had been cruel, but he understood also where the nickname came from. He still displayed little emotion compared to others.

"I would take being called a Machine Admiral over a traitor."

Seth turned her attention back to the other two. "He's agreed to return to being the Duke of Tigris given the absence of another to take the lands and title."

"Return?" Astharoshe, the other noble, frowned. She looked closer at Solomon. Her eyes widened. "Wait." Her eyes widened.

"No way!" Ion's mouth dropped. "You're one of the founders of the empire. The first head of military affairs. But history books say you died well over seven hundred years ago."

"Come now, Ion, you shouldn't believe everything you read." Seth winked. "I had that written in. He's been working in the shadows for the empire."

Ion stared at Solomon.

"Forgive the question, majesty, but why is the duke here?" Astharoshe asked. "You summoned the count and I for a mission."

"Yes," Seth's voice turned series as did her expression. "A mission the duke will be leading. You two have done a marvelous job at setting the foundations of peace and will accompany the Duke Solomon to the Vatican for a meeting with the Cardinal Caterina Sforza and the Pope."

"Leading?" Ion frowned. He glanced at Solomon.

"Understood." Astharoshe straightened, a look of determination on her features.

"Solomon has already been given this order, but is someone you three will be returning home to the empire. Given his was once a person of note within the empire of old, Baibars will be accompanying you three to the Vatican as well."

The guard, who had been in the room since before Solomon's arrival, straightened. He was a shadow of his ancestor. So much so Solomon felt almost as if he were looking at the founder of the yeniçeri every time he looked at the man rather than his descendent. There were enough generations between Barack, the founder of the yeniçeri, and Baibars, the current head of the yeniçeri, the two of them could have looked different.

"I except all of you to return safely along with this member of the empire."

"Who is it?" There was nothing but respect when Ion asked this question.

"All you need to know is Solomon will know him on sight." Seth gave them an almost motherly smile. "Now, go and see us into peace with Vatican."

The two younger nobles bowed. Solomon did the same before heading for the door.

"Duke of Tigris, a moment please."

Solomon paused and looked at Seth.

The others paused well before Baibars moved to go which got to the younger two to follow him.

"Please be careful on this mission. _He_ is back and in the outer."

"I know," Solomon stated. He reached as if to touch her but stopped short. They weren't married anymore. Lovers, yes, but not married. Shows of affection in public, even when they were alone in the throne room, could end with more problems than the comfort it would bring the both of them. "I will return with Abel," Solomon vowed.

"Thank you, my love," Seth whispered as she took his hand. The gesture lasted only a heartbeat before she stepped back and nodded to him. "Go, be safe."

Solomon bowed his head. "I will do whatever it takes to get the peace treaty started and return Abel home." He turned and followed the three children out of the throne room.

Yes, he would do whatever it took.

* * *

 **(Author's Note:** Elizabeth as Abel's and Lilith's daughter would have their enhancements from when they were human. She also is a crusnik which was sort of explained in the chapter. We don't know if the nano-machines can replicate or not, but I assume they can given how much blood Abel loses yet he stays at 80% instead of dropping lower.

Also, yes, another book with a Solomon pov in it.

A lot of what was happening in Emperor's Mask, especially with Solomon, I didn't like. It was when I was getting ideas for him down on paper. After the help of Bluewing, I came up with a fate I am far happier with for him. Solomon lives for his family (Seth and Abel) this was established back during Divergent Path and even more in Past of Lies. His loyality for the empire is directly linked to the two who have ruled it and his love for Seth would have him stay closer to her than to Abel. He would spend his entire, now immortal, life serving his, in his words, greatest love for the future of their people and nation while working tirelessly to get Abel to return home.

For those of you who are new to my stories, yes, Abel is an emperor or was in the past. He is known in the history (in my head cannon) as the first and only emperor. **)**


	4. Cain's Reflection

Venessa bristled. "What the hell? Where did you three come from?"

Abel turned his attention away from the Cain of the other reality to the Methuselah in the room. Her hair spiked, fangs bared. He couldn't make out much of what else she looked like only she was similar to the person Abel had been following the other night.

His eyes flickered to the unconscious figure behind her and back. The other was dressed in a suit and cape. He had to be the one Abel had been following last night.

Ah, twins. This would explain it then.

"You aren't taking the pope or this girl!"

"Nun," Cain corrected. He replaced his half mask. "Her title would be nun, child."

Venessa moved so she stood between them and the door. "You think I will just let you terran go?" Her eyes narrowed, fangs bared. "The moment you arrived we won this battle. I won't let any of you go."

"You just took the pope and queen or princess I guess hostage and think you're going to get away with it?" Cain asked in cool tones.

Abel winced.

"Queen?" Venessa looked confused.

A sharp sound greeted Abel's ears. Boots against metal tapped through the wall towards him. He looked at the wall behind his Holiness and the girl who clung to the Pope.

There.

"Never mind," Cain let out the words as a soft breath. "But," – his hand fell to his sword hilt – "if you honestly think you can take all of hostage, you're sadly mistaken."

"Uncle Cain," Elizabeth whispered.

Abel pulled his revolver. He pointed it in the direction of the pope, towards the sounds on the otherside of the wall.

Alessandro's eyes widened.

"Father!" Esther screamed at the same moment Venessa shouted, "Father what are you doing?!" She made to lung towards Abel.

Too slow.

Abel fired around the pope. The bullets struck the wall.

 _Crack_!

Dust and cries of pain filled the air. Bodies fell into the room among the rubble of the wall.

"Those uniforms… The secret police?!" Esther back away from the wall.

Venessa's eyes had gone wide. "Secret police?!"

"Next time you hear something, give some warning!" Cain snapped.

Venessa reacted first. Her hair bristled before she sent strands towards the police. It ripped through them in a hail of strands as sharps as needles.

Elizabeth moved so she was before the pope. "Back up," she told him in a soft voice. Her blue eyes were locked on Venessa.

"How did they know the pope was here?" Venessa looked towards Abel, Cain, and Elizabeth. "How did you three?"

"Ah," Abel scratched his cheek. "Well you see, it's like this. I picked hall and ran down it." He laughed and shrugged.

Venessa turned to the screen near the door and checked it.

Esther's eyes widened. "The troops." She took a pace back. "What are they doing?"

Abel looked at the screen over the top of his glasses when no one was really looking at him. Damn, this situation was going from bad to worse. He doubted this group was the one William would be with.

"Armored suits, the special forces of the mechanized infantry are here too?"

"No," Abel knew his voice was solemn, "not only the Inquisition. Those suits are rolls Royce marine 'bastard' MKV. The latest model in Albion's military."

"Damn!" Cracking filled the air as Venessa slammed her fist into the screen. "So, it's begun. Albion's infantry. Damn you 'Bloody Mary'!" Venessa charged towards the door.

Well, so much for a simple rescue mission.

"Wait! Please! Venessa! Where are you going?!" Abel turned towards the young, brash Methuselah. He had admitted to knowing very little about this situation having only arrived into a little ago. But this wasn't good.

She didn't pause to speak but ran down the hall.

Abel made a step towards the door. That was the direction of… but she couldn't be thinking about using _that_ , could she?

"Abel!" Cain's voice made Abel freeze. "There's more to this than just Albion and the Inquisition, you know that, right?"

Abel looked over his shoulder at the Cain of the other reality.

"If the me of this reality is here, they would be planning on destroying the city."

Abel bit back the urge to scowl and retort he knew that already. "She's heading for it." Abel turned to go.

"Father, what are you two talking about? What is 'it'?"

"Something we can't run into without a plan," Cain stated.

There wasn't time for that.

"We need to think this through."

While Albion burned. Abel narrowed his eyes. This Cain was being foolish.

The sound of footsteps made Abel turn.

Esther had vanished.

"Oh, no." Abel shot a glare towards Cain.

"What does that girl think she's doing?" Cain moved forward.

Abel bit back retorting "being smarter than you" to Cain.

He raced after Esther.

"Elizabeth, stay with the pope!" Cain shouted. Abel heard him following close behind.

She was following the tracks of Venessa.

"Abel."

Abel was pulled to a shot by a strong grip.

"We can't just go rushing around blind. This could be a distraction."

Abel growled. "Don't you think I know what!" he snapped. "But Esther and all of Albion are in danger. No amount of planning and sitting around is going to help them!" he wrenched his shoulder from Cain's grasp. "You're trying to be smart when it's really stupid."

"I was trying to keep everyone alive," Cain retorted in smooth tones. "You're letting your emotions guide you."

"I am not supposed to be the smart one right now," Abel stated. He started off down the hall. "Besides the more time spent on plans the more people who are going to die."

Abel froze only a few paces down the hall.

The harsh scent of human blood struck.

Cain paused beside him. "Is that?"

"Human," Abel stated. He took off down the passage.

The scent grew and became harsher. Fresh human blood mixed with scent of older, colder human blood.

Cain gagged.

It took a lot of Abel's willpower not to copy Cain's reaction.

The sounds of a fight greeted Abel's sharp hearing.

"Well," a familiar sing-song voice sound from far down another passage, "Are you quite done? If you are, would you mind leaving now? We have someplace to be now and, it's rude, I know, but can we do this some other time?"

"Next time we meet, I'll kill you!" an unfamiliar voice vowed.

Smoke spilled out into their hall. Footsteps raced away.

"Was that?"

"Cain," Abel growled the name. The voice was unmistakable.

"The one of this reality you mean," stated Cain.

Hot rage and pain scorched Abel's veins. Images of Lilith's death flashed over his eyes. Blood filled his mouth.

"Abel!" the other Cain screamed as Abel charged around the corner.

"Cain!" Abel shrieked the name and drew his gun.

Sure enough the man standing close to another was the real Cain.

Abel snarled.

Tears filled Cain's eyes as he looked at Abel. "Abel."

"Die!" Abel fired on the man.

Cain laughed. The bullets froze mid-air. "Really, oh, Abel, you haven't changed at all."

"Down!" Hard metal struck Abel. Air was knocked from Abel's lungs by the impact.

Air blasted over.

The bullets were reflected. A load clanging sounded as they embedded into the wall which had been behind Abel.

"No, no, no! You can't just go get a new brother. Bad brother!"

The other Cain rolled off of Abel. "That was, it was zero four's ability." His visible eye was wide. "I expected plasma, not wind."

Abel rolled to his feet. The tackle had jarred the blind rage from him. This was _him_ he was dealing with, not some random Methuselah. Cain was far more dangerious and it had been very stupid of Abel to charge in head first.

"You're right," Abel whispered. "That must be where," his eyes widened. 04's container had been missing forty percent when Abel had found it close to Lilith's body. He looked towards the insane figure down the hall. It couldn't be? He had placed 04 into himself as well. But that, it was insane.

And that man, he wasn't really Cain at all. Not from what Abel had learned the other night. No, he was 01.

01 ducked behind Abel. "Creepy," he whimpered.

"I really did lose to zero one in this reality," Cain muttered in disgust.

"Get away from Esther!" Abel shouted at 01.

Abel moved forward, careful this time and well aware 04's wind ability could rip off his head if he wasn't careful.

01 started to drag Esther back with him.

Esther screeched when 01 gripped the wounds of her shoulders.

The girl swayed on her feet. The wounds were serious and she was losing too much blood.

Abel let his glasses slid down his nose. He couldn't afford to miss this shot. He lifted his revolver.

01 froze before moving a little more behind the smaller girl.

He was too tall to ever hide completely behind someone Esther's size.

Abel fired.

The bullet froze.

Abel fired again.

Another frozen bullet.

Cain darted forward from Abel's side.

Abel fired to cover the other man as they used to as children.

The bullet froze once more.

Cain lunged.

Wind blasted through the room.

Esther's scream ripped through air as she was shot away from 01.

Cain leapt and twisted. The scent of crusnik blood joined with that of terran blood.

Footsteps raced off down the hall.

Cain held Esther, he had protected her from the worst of the blast.

Shit, if any of his blood got into Esther she would die. It didn't smell like Cain was pulling back the nanomachines.

Abel raced towards them. He pulled out a small amount of cloth.

"Esther." He knelt before the girl.

"F-Father. I shouldn't have gone off on my own."

"Don't think about that now." Abel tied off the bandaging. He looked to Cain.

"I'll be fine," Cain stated as he stood, expression grim. "But he headed towards the same place Venessa was heading."

"We need to get there." Abel leapt to his feet and raced off down the hall. He heard two people following and knew one had to be Esther.

"Do you think he's after the blueprints?" Cain asked. "He ran when he should have been able to take us both."

"What blueprints?" Esther asked as she struggled to keep pace. "Do you mean the layout of the ghetto."

"No," Cain stated in reply. "Something far more dangerous. Abel, is zero one not at full power because of the fall through the atmosphere?"

"Most likely, but he took forty percent of zero four." Abel glanced at Esther out of the corner of his eye. It was clear they had lost the girl.

"Then we're going to have avoid fighting head on again," Cain stated. "He seems to be using it both in wide range and narrow for precision attacks."

"Agreed." Abel stumbled a little when he didn't see a part of the ground become uneven.

It wasn't long before they raced into the large, circular room.

Abel froze at the sight of another there. "Kampfer."

Venessa froze. "What the hell? Another of you?" She snarled and turned towards them.

"Welcome, Lord Abel," Isaak's short hair grew until it was long. The suit he wore also shifted as the same symbol passed over his body. Glasses vanished and soon the familiar figure of Isaak Fernand von Kampfer stood before the computer.

"Abel," Cain whispered, "I know this man, he's dangerous."

Abel looked at Cain. "I'm aware."

Kampfer smiled at them. "My, how odd. There are now two of Mein Herr."

They had destroy the system.

"Nanomachine 'crusnik 02' release of restrictions forty percent, authorized." Abel's hair crackled up around his head.

Cain whispered the same words replacing 02 with 01.

Venessa trembled at the sight of the two of them.

"My, how rude!" 01 pouted. He stepped forward.

"Mien Herr, if you intend to fight, keep in mind you've already expended a great deal of energy."

01 pouted, eyes glowing red. "No fun! You're no fun!"

"We need to land two blows." Cain's words were distorted by the crusnik. "Go eighty, brother."

No. It wasn't worth the risk to the human and Methuselah here.

Abel's scythe appeared in his hands.

A lance could now be seen in Cain's hands.

Cain raced forward and lunged. The lance launched forward as if he were thrusting a sword.

01 laughed.

Abel moved.

Air slammed into him and pushed him back several paces.

Cain went flying. His arm had been destroyed.

Cain landed paces from Abel. He muttered the activation to go up another forty-percent.

Six white wings ripped through his robes.

A harsher blast came from 01. It ripped into the ground.

Cain snarled.

Blood flew from his wing, even as the other was dipped into his own blood to heal his arm.

Damn. Cain was right. Even at zero percent, a fully fused crusnik was a match for two who had spent too long among humans without a steady supply of blood.

"Esther, hide," Abel instructed the girl.

Then there was Isaak to consider.

Abel moved into the room once he heard Esther retreat away from the room.

Isaak didn't seem interested in the battle. His entire focus was on the system. He was going after the blueprints.

Cain would have to keep himself busy.

Abel scanned the room. Venessa seemed frozen as if she wouldn't believe her eyes. Not something he could blame her for. Still, he could easily injure her if she interfered in a fight between himself and Isaak.

No matter, Abel had stop Isaak from claiming Cain's and his blue prints.

"Nanomachine 'crusnik zero two' increasing to eighty-percent capacity, approved." Lightening surged around Abel as his wings burst through his robes. The raw energy raced down the feathers and out around him. The voice of 02 increased from a dull whisper to a buzzing storm as they clawed at his mind, trying to gain control. To destroy everything and everyone in this room regardless if they were friend or foe.

A torrent of hate and rage pierced through Abel from 02. After centuries with him, the nanomachines could no longer stand 01 or his host. They, like him, hated 01 for the death of Lilith and removal of 04 from her. It was a betrayal in their eyes.

But Abel's target was another, not 01 and especially not the alt Cain he was fighting.

A torrent of light raced through the room in a wild display. The ground cracked. Popping filled the air as the system was fried beyond repair.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch!" 01 danced on his feet as he moved to avoid the lightning storm.

The strong powerful beats of three pairs of wings filled the air. Cain had taken to the sky to try and dodge of the storm. "Abel!" Cain shouted.

Abel pulled the energy in. Small flashes of lightning now wavered between his wings and around his body instead of a storm through the room.

Isaak had moved from the system. His hand raised. A protective shield glittered before him and 01.

Isaak leapt down the down from the dais the computer console rested on. "The situation has become difficult," Isaak's voice was smooth. His expression remained even, almost bored.

Abel felt his lips curl. At least the data couldn't be retrieved now.

"I who is He," Isaak started to recite.

"Abel!" Cain leapt forward.

Energy crackled at the end of the lance. A beam of raw red energy lanced through the air. It wasn't directed towards Isaak though.

While Isaak was distracted casting one of his "spells," it left 01 wide open.

The energy ripped through 01's stomach and sent to the ground. Red lightning sparked up around his torso.

This didn't seem to do much as 01 got back up to his feet. He blinked almost insolently at them. "Now, what was that for?" he almost whined.

Cain froze, his eye wide at the sight.

This wasn't the time to be shocked over the odd wound. Abel thrust down his scythe, sending a torrent of lightning towards 01.

"Whoa!" 01 leapt away. He wasn't fast enough. Part of the lightning caught his hand.

Abel moved to the Cain from the other reality's side. "We can't be distracted," he growled at Cain. His voice was distorted by the activation level of the crusnik.

"What was that for?!" 01 demanded with a pout. He laughed. "No matter." His eyes widened.

It wasn't hard to see why. The flesh popped and sizzled on his hand. What made up his body was starting to dissolve both where Cain had managed to land a blow and where Abel hand.

"What the…?" 01 stared at his hand. "This body is falling apart?"

Now was the time to attack, before Isaak had time to react to this.

Abel lunged forward.

A shield appeared before 01. His scythe slammed into the center of it.

Isaak moved over to 01. "I'm afraid the time is up, Mein Herr."

Abel landed and twisted to try and get at 01 from another angle.

He was deflected again.

Cain moved to try and help.

"It's best to go back to the regeneration chamber while the body can still maintain this state." Isaak seemed to paying them only enough attention to block their attacks from hitting 01.

This wasn't working.

Abel leapt back. The other method was to cause the lightning to spark through the shield.

Lightning surged around his wings and body. He thrust the scythe towards 01 and Isaak.

They were starting to vanish into the ground.

Everything 01 was saying was lost in the sound of sparking lightning.

The lightening slammed into the shield. A spark lit on the side.

Too late. The attack struck the computer instead of 01 or Isaak.

Abel snarled in frustration.

Cain landed. His wings shriveled and vanished as his blond hair fell back around his face. It was still somehow neater than Abel's as Abel also deactivated the crusnik.

"It seems Isaak's still the one trying protect the one taken by the nanomachines," Cain commented, "even in this reality." Cain frowned, eye on where Isaak and the him of this reality had vanished. "Though, I admit I've never been able to land a blow against Isaak."

"Never?" Abel stared at him.

Cain shrugged. "I can't cut the current of my attack to ionize the air behind the shield like you can."

Venessa collapsed to the ground, eyes wide.

The sound of racing footsteps resounded through the passages beyond the room.

Esther moved back into the space, glancing over her shoulders.

"Esther!" Abel moved over to her. "Are you all right?" His voice had returned to being light.

Cain winced.

Before Esther could reply, several people raced into the room.

Abel stiffened, hand moving towards his revolver. He relaxed when he noticed none of them were Albion military or secret police.

"Sister Esther!" one of the men shouted. "Thank goodness you're here." He raced over to her. "Professor Wordsworth, please come here. We've found Sister Esther. We've found the Lady Saint."

Abel backed up.

"Seems they're more interested in Esther than anything else in the room," Cain mused.

Abel ignored his brother from another reality. It wasn't shocking considering William had uncovered the fact Esther was really a princess. This was going to be the start of a long, new road for Esther. A road where it was unlikely Abel would see too often down.

He smiled. She was growing up, ready to take on the world she must have been born for. There was nothing else he could show her on how similar humans and Methuselah were. Nothing else he could subtly teach her.

William arrived a few moments later. "Are you all right, Sister Esther?" the professor asked as he moved over to Esther. There was no smile on his face. "Thank goodness you have a tracking device on you."

Seriously?! Abel gaped at the professor instead of the scowl he longed to show instead. "You were tracking her all this time?!" Abel shouted the complaint.

"Why, yes, I assumed you knew, Father Abel." William smiled at Abel from around his pipe. "Why else would I have had her position to give you?"

True. "But… but," Abel spluttered. He slumped.

If they had arrived only a few minutes ago, he shuddered to think the amount of people who would have been injured or even killed in a battle between three crusniks and Isaak. There was the fact they hadn't arrived during the battle. This was all that mattered. None of them were hurt because of Abel or this alt Cain.

"We should all return to the palace."

"What about his Holiness?" Esther asked.

"Safe," William informed Esther. "Brother Petros found him a little ago. The woman who arrived with Father Nightroad was holding off some of the Albion army well before Petros got there."

William let a few of the others take the lead with Esther. He dropped back to Abel's side, gaze serious as he looked at Abel out of the corner of his eye. "I am quite curious to how you accessed the elevator, my friend. Only those of the royal bloodline can do so."

Abel coughed. "Well, about that, I am a prince in disguise," Abel joked.

William's eyebrow twitched while Cain snorted.

"Avoid the question all you want, my friend, but how you did so will eventually come out."

"How is the man who was with his Holiness?" Esther asked. "His name is Virgil."

"He's recovering," William informed her.

There was more behind William's words. This Virgil wasn't okay at all. It was more than likely all the Methuselah here would be detained for kidnapping the pope and Esther.

Abel's eyes narrowed behind his glasses as he looked at William.

This entire situation was only going to degrade and worsen.

x – Solomon – x

The soft sounds of the airship's engine hummed through the halls to the more common space Solomon was seated in. It was punctuated by the rustle of paper and then a tap of stone against stone.

Solomon was seated in a lit corner of the airship. He was reading through the documents while playing chess against himself. He spun the board almost absently, so it was on the white before he moved the piece to counter a move he had just made. Then, he spun it back to black and moved again.

Most of his attention was on work however. Reports both over the peace meeting which was to take place with Cardinal Caterina Sforza and reports of small pockets of unrest in the empire itself. There was very little now that it had been announced he was taking back the position of Duke within the empire.

The power the first generation held over the empire was as he had expected it to be from the history and legends which surrounded their group. With him backing the empress, the Orden wouldn't be able to so much as split the loyalty for another noble within the empire again or even a slave.

"You talk with him," a voice hissed not too far from where Solomon sat. He looked out of the corner of eye to see Astharoshe and Ion were now in the common space talking in hushed voices.

Ion shivered. "But he's…"

"You were the one who wanted to talk to him, count, so stop acting childish and do so." The Duchess gave the count a sharp shove in Solomon's direction.

Ion swallowed and moved over to the table. "May I join you?" the boy almost squawked the question. His voice breaking from a mixture of excitement and fear. Such was the fate of a Methuselah who awoke at the age Ion had. To never have their voice finish changing. To be caught at the transition between boy and man in this respect alone. He could still have children.

Solomon gestured to the seat across from him. He returned his attention to the reports and listened as the boy slipped into the chair.

"Why are you playing yourself?" Ion asked after a long moment of silence.

Solomon turned the board and moved another piece. "My normal opponent is long gone," he stated in reply without looking up from the reports.

"I could play you," the boy puffed up a little. "Grandmother says I have a knack for the game."

Solomon set down the reports and looked at the boy. "Is that so?"

The boy held himself higher. "I've beaten everyone in our estate," he boosted.

Cocky and arrogant, just as the last few times Solomon had seen the boy from the shadows. No matter the amount of respect in his tone now or his new views on the outer thanks to a sister named Esther, the boy had a lot to learn.

Solomon stopped the board's spin midway. He moved the documents to the side. The board was moved so it was between him and Ion. "Which side?"

"White," the boy said without hesitation.

They set the board.

Ion moved.

Solomon countered. Three moves later, Solomon stated, "Checkmate."

"What?" Ion looked at the board, eyes wide. "Again?" the boy reset his side of the board.

This one took four moves before Solomon stated again, "Checkmate."

"Again."

And, again, the boy lost quickly.

Ion reset the board and attempted once more. Over and over the boy lost, each time making a fatial mistake which left the king wide open.

"Can I try playing black?" asked the boy.

So, they swapped. This did nothing to help the boy. If anything, Ion lost again in three or four moves.

"How are you doing that?"

"You are falling into moving a piece which shouldn't be moved," Solomon explained. "If this were a real battle and you the commander, you would have been killed."

"But it's just a game."

Solomon lifted the documents once more. "All battle fields have a king, or in the empire's case, empress or commander who should be guarded and if falls the battle is over. They have the pawns as the main fighting force. The piece which can move freely such as the queen. The ones who slip in behind enemy lines like the knight. And the more powerful pieces in the rook and bishop."

Ion frowned.

"The king doesn't move much as the commander, for a reason. However, there are cases in a real battle where the king or commander is also akin to the queen in being the most powerful piece in play." Piece was such a crude term to refer to Seth and Abel as. Yet, Abel had always been the most powerful player on any battlefield as both the commander and a soldier.

"Who did you used to play against? If you don't mind my asking, Duke Solomon," Astharoshe asked. She had moved over to join them.

"The emperor." Solomon rest the board.

Astharoshe's yellow eyes glittered. "Care if I try my hand?"

Solomon bowed his head.

She replaced Ion.

It proved a little more challenging to face her. She lasted a few more moves than Ion, but was still far too easily beaten.

"What was he like?" Ion asked during the second match against the duchess. "The emperor, I mean." The boy's face as a little flushed.

"A friend," Solomon stated simply. His brother-in-law and the one man he would follow to the ends of the universe if need be. Even through this insane plan to gain peace with the terran. No matter the pain it would have caused their emperor and themselves. It had been what the emperor thought best. The only way after Lilith's death they could achieve peace without having their royal line destroyed by the ignorant terran.

"That's not much of an answer," Astharoshe pointed out.

"It is the only answer you need."

Ion blinked. "But it doesn't tell us anything about him." The complaint somehow still sounded polite as if the boy didn't want to come off as childish despite the words pointing him to being such.

"What the count means to say, is we know all his majesty accomplished and sacrificed during his life for the empire to become what it is today. But we don't know much else about him. Not even his first name is mention in our history books or lessons."

"Nor will it ever be." Solomon checkmated her once more.

Ion huffed a little while Asharoshe frowned. "What do you mean, Duke Solomon?" she asked, eyes intense.

"There is a reason we took his first name from the texts," Solomon stated.

"What reason?" Ion pressed.

"One you will soon discover."

"That's not an answer!" Ion exclaimed.

"It is. Just not the one you wanted, Count."

Asharoshe frowned. Then her eyes widened a little. "Are you saying, you and the other founders faked the emperor's death?"

Solomon looked at the girl.

"Did you?" Ion leaned forward, eyes wide. "Is it the emperor we're going to find while we get this peace treaty with the Vatican? If so, why not just skip the treaty and find him instead?"

Solomon looked at the boy.

Ion froze. He paled a little as his gaze met Solomon's.

"It's a valid question," Asharoshe pointed out. "The emperor belongs in the empire with his people."

"The situation is far from that simple." Solomon looked at her.

"How so?" Asharoshe managed to hold his gaze where Ion had broken it. Though it was clear she was a little unnerved by the slightest flicker of her eyes.

"You will learn." Solomon gathered up the documents and stood. "Thank you both for the games." He turned and started towards the exit.

"That's also not an answer!" Ion shouted after him.

But it was. In the end, telling them the reasons behind what had happened wouldn't be possible without Abel here to aid him in doing so. Even then, the children would never understand the situation they had been forced into by _him_ at the end of the Terran-Methuselah War.

It was for the best they learned most of this one their own and not from Solomon. It was for the best they learned Abel's real identity when the time came to return him home.

* * *

 **(Author's Note:** I don't know how much of what happens in the manga and anime I am going to write up here with Abel actually being in it. I need to reread through those chapters given I skimmed them when they came out. It will most likely add another chapter to the book than I would like to be in it, but given Abel didn't die, it might also be interesting. Of course everything told by Mary and Isaak would be gone as well. **)**


	5. True Queen

x – A few Days Later – x  
x – Solomon – x

The sun glittered off the buildings of Rome when the airship docked. Solomon stood alone just outside the airship. The clothing he wore was lined with protective fibers, his silk scarf was as well and had been pull over his head and mouth. He wore goggles to protect from the sun as well.

"This is weird," Ion muttered as he joined Solomon. "Couldn't we have just worn the UV protection gel or waited for the sun to go down."

"The gel is illegal here," Solomon stated. "We are to extend every courteously and respect their laws."

"What about laws which want us dead?" Ion asked.

Solomon didn't look at the boy. "Only if you break their law and kill someone, count."

A car pulled up and a priest exited.

"Father Tres!" Ion exclaimed. "Do you remember me?"

The priest, Father Tres, as the count had called him, moved over to them. His steps were heavy, hard against the ground. The smallest of trimmers moved through the stone to Solomon. Too heavy to be a terran then.

"Affirmative, Count of Memphis, Ion Fortuna," stated Tres, his features remained expressionless. His eyes locked onto Ion. They weren't flesh and blood, this much was clear. Most likely they were made of glass with tech behind them.

Yes, this must have been the killing doll under Caterina's commander. This made the only part of him human his brainstem with the rest being a machine.

"Am I correct in presuming you're escorting us to the meeting with Cardinal Sforza?" Solomon asked. He scanned Tres's features. There was nothing he would be able to gleam from a machine. It was either a show of strength to send Tres on the Cardinal's part. A way to ensure their protection. Or a trap.

"Positive." Tres turned and led them to the car.

Solomon followed, his gaze skimmed the area. There wasn't a sign of movement beyond the normal bustle of the terran day. Still, assassins could be hidden even among the people they passed.

There was no hint of fear or trimmer of being overly calm from any of them. Well no more fear than was to be expected at the sight of an imperial airship. Especially given Baybars followed not too far behind Solomon and the other two envoys. The man, even covered, was just intimidating as his ancestor was.

It was a fool who threw away sights as just being mere fears at the sight of a "vampire." The surest way to see this mission's failure and lose their first chance in over eight hundred years to return Abel to his rightful place in the empire.

This, it wasn't something Solomon would ever risk. Their emperor needed to be returned home. To be away from terran and the torment it had be to deny the thirst at the lengths he had. For someone to remind him of who he really was. He wasn't a terran slave and never should be seen as such again.

Peace would come. Abel's sacrifice would never be in vein.

They made it to the car without incident. Solomon stayed alert as he slid into one of the seats. Baybars sat across from him while Ion took the other window seat, and Astharoshe was placed between himself and Ion.

Tres took the seat next to Baybars. The killing doll didn't seem the least bit concerned. Yet, this was to be expected. What did a mechine have to fear from Methuselah? Nothing.

Granted the terran here had nothing to fear from their group either. They had enough blood tablets to see them through a few months as well as the fact harming a terran would wreck their chances at peace.

Ion looked out the window. "Rome is a rather interesting city," the young noble commented.

"It is a beautiful city," Solomon stated. And it was.

"Is this your first time here, Duke Solomon?" Astharoshe asked, seeming to catch his tone.

"No."

He still remembered the first time he had come to Rome before the Red Mars Project. It had been on business with his father when Solomon had been about eight.

It was during that very trip Solomon had felt the first pains of his failing body and his mother had rushed him to a hospital. The trip which had seen Solomon's life change forever. The start of the rejection of his parents and later his sister who hadn't been born until later.

The next time Solomon had been in Rome it had been after their return from Mars. The city had been in near ruins. With their help, Pope Gregory had restored the city to as close to his original splendor as they could ever hope to get. He had visited the city many time before the terran-Methuselah War on diplomatic missions.

Tres turned his gaze on Solomon. "Clarification requested, there has been no imperial in Rome for over eight centuries."

Solomon felt himself smile. "No there hasn't. To be precise, there has never been a noble in Rome, Father Iqus." Outside of their emperor this was.

"But you said you've been here before?" Astharoshe pointed out.

"I have. I never said I was noble during the visit."

"But you're one of the nobles of the empire," Ion protested. "How could you not be considered such?"

Baybars cleared his throat. "A discussion for later, Master Ion."

Nothing happened during the trip to the Vatican.

Their group was received by only members of the Ministry of Holly Affairs and a few from the Ministry of Public Relations. No others were there. Though the sight of the other ministry did point to Cardinal Sforza getting the Minister of Public Relations on her side. This only meant it was far more likely for the treaty to see completion.

Good. Very Good.

The two cardinals would be more than enough to sway even the most obstinate minds.

They were led through the familiar halls of the Vatican towards one of the inner rooms.

Solomon kept his senses on alert. They were deep in the heart of the Vatican. Terran could easily turn this situation against them. The only sign of trust came from the fact they hadn't asked them for their weapons. Granted, the only two who carried visible weapons were Baybars and Ion. Solomon's ring could appear as any other ring and the Astharoshe's weapon appeared as a small pipe on her hip.

Even still, in the sun, they were limited.

The door opened. With was a small table only just big enough for six or seven to sit at. The seat intended for the Pope was vacant. The two flanking it where taken by a young man and woman. Both were stunning to say the least.

This made the woman Cardinal Caterina Sforza. And the man must have been Cardinal Antonio Borgia.

Antonio had light brown, almost dirty blond hair and pale green eyes. Most would describe him as rather handsome. From what Solomon knew about the man, he was a rather conceited man who also happened to be a genius. The fact of his conceit kept him from achieving more with his mind than it helped.

Then there was Cardinal Sforza. She was a genius as well. Though this wasn't shocking considering the line she hailed from. Aran's descendent not being a genius would have been a crime in and of itself.

Still there was nothing of Solomon's nephew in the woman who sat before him. Too many generation removed them for her to look too much like him. Her eyes were a steely grey. Blond hair curly and elegant all in the same moment. A woman who many had said beheld unmatched beauty.

Caterina stood. "Welcome, Duchess of Kiev and Odessa, Astharoshe Arsan, Count of Memphis Ion Fortuna," – her gaze locked onto Solomon, monocle flashing. The effect of the monocle was chilling. It added a harshness to her beauty. Far more steel to her gaze. Ah, it must have been a suggestion on Abel's part to her. A hint whispered in her ear – "and Duke of Tigris, Solomon." She smiled at him, the look softening the almost harsh look she had given before. "We were informed you would be directing the negations on the empress's behalf, Duke Solomon."

"I am," Solomon confirmed. "Forgive the bluntness, your Eminence, but I was informed his Holiness would be attending these negotiations."

Caterina smiled at him. A hint of venom behind the look. Truly a pupil of Abel's. "My brother has been delayed in Londinium."

"I hope everything is well in Albion. There have been whisperings of unrest since Queen Bridget fell ill."

"There has been?" Ion whispered to Astharoshe.

"Nothing my two agents and the Inquisition can't handle, I assure you."

Solomon smile. "I am glad to hear it, your Eminence."

"His Holiness trusts myself and Cardinal Borgia to oversee these negotiations while he's been delayed." Caterina gestured to the seats opposite the table from herself and Antonio. "Please be seated."

Solomon took his seat. "Her majesty, is interested in starting trade with the Vatican," Solomon opened. "Centuries ago, we traded with your nation and both our nations prospered from the relationship."

Caterina bowed her head.

Antonio smiled. "We're well aware the empire is far more advanced in technology than the rest of the world, what could you gain from a trade and peace treaty with the Vatican? We don't mine raw materials after all. You already get that from treaties in the south." Antonio's eyes narrowed a little. "Unless you're after something else entirely."

"You dare," Astharoshe started to bristle.

Ion growled.

Solomon lifted hand to the two children. "We are far from the monsters you make us out to be, your Eminence. I assure you we are not interested in such trade." Solomon slipped out Seth's letter to Caterina. "You will find what her majesty is interested in, holds far more value than blood or gold. Of course, we are interested in changing the trade agreements once this matter has been resolved to better suit both parties. But for the first twenty years of trade between our nations, this is all we're interested in." Solomon slid the letter across the table towards Caterina.

"Oh-ho." Antonio seemed intrigued in this matter.

Caterina took the letter before Antonio had a chance to snag it. She opened it. Her face remained impassive. The only hint she got to the point of the one matter the empress wanted, was when she paled. She folded the letter, eyes closed as she took a deep a deep breath.

"I see." She turned her gaze on Solomon. "We should discuss it with him first before deciding his fate for him."

Odd.

As far as Solomon was aware, Abel had sold his freedom to the Vatican. Caterina was making it out as if Abel had a choice in the matter now. He looked more closely at the girl before him. Perhaps she was truly of Aran's blood and had already released Abel. Abel would have stayed out of a sense of duty and to honor what this woman had done for him. This seemed the most likely, at least.

"I'm quite certain he will see the terms agreeable, your Eminence, Cardinal Sforza," Solomon stated.

"If I may, where is he now?" Solomon pressed. His heart quickened. He had seen Abel a few times while he had last been in the empire, but it had all been from a distance. There hadn't been a good time to speak with his old leader, friend, and brother-in-law.

Solomon was careful to keep his expression even and expressionless.

"Londinium."

Antonio frowned. "May I see the letter?"

Caterina let out a breath. "I'm afraid not, Carinal Borgia. It is a matter which concerns my department and will affect it the most." To Solomon, she continued, "We will speak more on this matter in a bit, Duke Solomon."

"I look forward to it, Cardinal Sforza." Solomon stood. "Until then, Cardinals." He bowed his head to the two of them.

"Tres, see them to their quarters."

Tres straightened and moved towards the door.

It was near sunset when Solomon next heard from Caterina. She entered his quarters after knocking. "I hope I didn't wake you, Duke Solomon," she said in way of greeting to him. She stood erect, noble even.

Tres stood as a shadow behind his mistress.

Given Solomon was seated at the table in the room, chess board out, he knew he didn't look as if he had been woken. He gave her a polite smile. "Not at all, Cardinal Sforza," he stated and gestured for her to take the seat across from him.

Caterina took it, the motion smooth with a practiced elegance.

Solomon took a sip of the water of life. The bland flavors washed over his tongue. He much preferred this to actual blood though. Most of the tablets produced in the empire were made from donated blood, unlike the tablets produced on the black market.

"What can I do for you this evening?" Solomon asked, keeping to terran time.

"Your empress is prepared to give us much for one person," Caterina started in a smooth voice.

"You are well aware of who he really is, being his current master," Solomon stated.

Caterina kept her eyes locked on him. "I am. What I don't understand is how you know. I was under the impression his identity was known to only a few in the empire outside of being the 'Monster Raised by the Vatican.'"

Solomon felt his lips curl in a smile. "Such a crude way to refer to his majesty, but yes, only the five founding families are ever made aware he still lives and what he looks like. Even then some children always forget." He was referring to his own descendent who had also attacked Abel despite knowing what Abel looked like and who he was. Granted, Abel was now very adept at playing the part of the foolish terran.

Caterina's eyes narrowed. "You're not just any relation of the traitor my agents reported helping root out, are you?"

"Clever child." Solomon bowed his head. "Sulayman is now a very distant relation of mine."

"Of yours, not his."

"Yes, of mine. As you have no doubt surmised, I am not as young as I appear to be."

"Most of your kind are far older than they appear," Caterina countered.

"True enough." He set the board before him, all the while keeping his eyes on her. "Care for a game, my lady? If you win, I will answer all your questions."

Caterina's eyes narrowed. "I don't like terms being drawn out for me."

"I already know what it is you would rather have and I can't offer it."

She took a deep breath. "And if you win?"

"I will consider it an amusement for the evening. A fine note to end the day on. Or," – he lifted his glass – "am I wrong in assuming you play, your Eminence?"

"I play," she stated. She kept her eyes on him.

"Then, your move." He bowed his head.

Caterina moved the first piece. "What are you really after, Duke?"

"Merely a distraction."

The game had started. A few moves in and it was clear she had spent time playing against Abel. Good. This would prove to be a far more interesting game than the one he had played against the two children earlier.

"A distraction? Or a tell how I react to you?" she asked.

Solomon just moved his piece to counter her. He rather liked this woman. Sure of herself; yet, not quite cocky. He could almost see himself in her.

The game continued, moving at a steady pace.

Ah, yes, she was good. Very good.

"I admit I am impressed," Solomon stated.

"You're moves mirror that of a friend," Caterina confessed.

"Ah, so you have played against him." Solomon switched his tactics then.

Caterina didn't seem the least bit concerned with it. "What could the empire gain from him now?"

"His safe return."

"Yet, he has lived among us for centuries. What if he doesn't want to return?"

"Is it he doesn't want to return to the empire or you don't want to see him leave?"

Caterina's eyes widened, but it was slight. Barely noticeable.

"I see. Yes, he does have that effect on all he meets, no matter the century it is."

Caterina looked at him, expression now cool. "Century, Duke?"

"I said too much." He tipped his king, though she hadn't placed him into checkmate. "Well, played, Duchess of Milan, Cardinal Sforza."

Her eyes narrowed. "You threw the game purposely."

"Perhaps." He gestured to her. "But now you may ask whatever questions you undoubtedly have."

"As far as I knew, Sulayman no longer hand living relatives after the death of one Countess Shahrazad al-Rahman. Who are you?"

Solomon lifted his glass and took a careful sip of the life water. "You're correct. After the death of Shahrazad the line of heirs to the dukedom did end. But what if there was someone the empress could trust implicitly with the lands and title? One who had never once betrayed her or her family? One who could, in theory, aid her in reassuring the empire all was well?"

Caterina narrowed her eyes. "You said heirs," she stated.

"Ah, forgive me, there is one left in the young Arsan, but to ask her to take on more of the empire wouldn't be wise. And you're correct, I did." He smiled at her, though he knew his eyes remained dull. "I am the very first Duke of Tigris under the New Human Empire. A founding member of the empire, if you would rather."

Caterina regarded him for a moment. "Earlier, you mentioned five trusted families. What did this refer to?"

"There were originally six bloodlines known as the emperor's inner circle. Those he trusted with the empire and more. Baybars is from one of them, descended from the very founder of the imperial guard, Astharoshe Arsan comes from two of them but more importantly is an Arsan who once stood as the closest friend to the emperor before the terran-Methuselah War. Then there is the Fortuna family descended from Abel's eldest adopted son Azul Fortuna. Radu Barvon was the last of the Barvon line descended from Alexander Barvon a skilled pilot and head of the aerial forces of the empire. Once the Williams also stood close to the emperor, but fell from favor when the last of the line tried to overthrow the empire over seven hundred years ago. And finally, my own line.

"These six families made up what was once called the trusted families of the empire. The original five who supported and stood behind the empress. Later, only the descendants of these five were made aware of our emperor never died at the end of the war. His whereabouts within the Vatican and the reasons behind, as well as his first name."

"Yet, the Duchess and Count show no signs of knowing who he is," Caterina stated.

"No. Ion is still considered too young to receive such information and isn't the head of his family. Thus, his grandmother still retains the information on who the emperor is. Whereas Astharoshe was also deemed unready for the information before her trip to Venice three years ago. Given she met his majesty while in Venice, it was decided to hold off on telling her least it harm her thoughts on those who lived outside of the empire and our chances at coming to this peace meeting."

"You're personally vested in seeing his return to the empire."

"I am."

"Why?"

Solomon looked at her. This was the one question he had already given her most of the reasoning behind. Yet, it was more than that. Abel was more than a friend. More than a tovarish. He was his brother-in-law. The one man he would follow to the ends of universe if necessary. And because of a promise he had made Lilith during the war to watch over Seth and Abel for as long as he lived.

"I have already given you the answer to that question."

Caterina changed the subject. "I received word after our meeting the unrest and uprising in Londinium has been resolved. A new queen is going to be crowned in the next few weeks."

There was more despite her pause. Solomon just took a sip of his drink while he waited for her to continue.

"I will be traveling to Londinium for the coronation. I hope you and the empress understand why I must cut our meeting short."

"If I may, who is the new queen?" By the sounds of it, the queen wasn't Mary.

"Sister Esther Blanchett."

"The envoy you sent to the empire." Solomon set down his glass. "Her majesty would be more than willing to show her own support for the new queen. She and Esther became friends during Esther's stay in the empire."

Caterina frowned. "You intend to travel to Londunium for more than just the coronation."

"He is there, so, yes, I am going for that reason as well. However, I know for a fact her majesty would interested in showing our fullest support for Albion's new queen. It would be the first step in peace talks with Albion as well."

"Very well, I will aid in getting your airship cleared to follow ours to Londinium."

"Thank you, Cardinal Sforza."

Caterina stood. She paused with her back to him, steps from the door. "I do remember running across your name in an ancient text," she stated, "back when I was trying to uncover more about his own past."

"Hmm?" Solomon shifted slightly.

"There was a legend of a man named Solomon who served the empire. A tactian unmatched by all but his own leader and Saint Sahl. The leader of military affairs within the empire, by the name of Solomon Nightlord. Is this you?"

"It is."

Caterina left the room without further inquiry into the subject.

"An interesting child," Solomon mused to himself. "I see what Abel sees in her." He turned to the chess board. The game was shown as a near even match. He lifted the fallen black king.

Yes, a very interesting girl.

x – Abel – x

The images of the battle flashed over Abel's eyes. He and 01 rising higher into the night sky. The pain as he started to lose against the stronger crusnik. Then, the Cain from the other reality had arrived with Lilith and shifted the battle into their favor. Together they had managed to stop 01, but only just.

Lilith had left shortly after without a word to Abel. Granted, she had barely just stopped herself from attacking him. The battle had ended below sometime before Abel had managed to return to the ground. It had been a long, blood filled night.

It had ended with Esther coming out as the true next queen of Albion as the only one able to unite the Methuselah who lived here as well as the humans. She would make a just and fair queen, at the very least. It was very likely Abel would rarely see the girl he had come to view as a daughter for the rest of her life now.

"Ah, there you are, my friend."

Abel opened his eyes and straightened in the chair. He was seated in the rooms he shared with William during their stay at the palace.

William now stood in the door, his eyes locked on Abel. "How are you holding up after the battle?" the professor pressed.

"I'm fine," Abel stated. His shoulder was healing from where he had taken a blow from an enemy soldier near the end of the battle. By that point, he knew going into even forty-percent had held a risk to the Methuselah around Esther. It had been better to remain as close to human as he could ever get.

The fact he hadn't had blood in months had worked against him. The last time had been just before arriving here in Londinium. It had been just enough to push two eighty percent activations before he had exhausted the energy he had left.

Yet, the wound was healing faster than any human ever could even without being at forty-percent and not having had blood. With blood… With a steady supply of blood, Abel was well aware his body would be acting closer to a Methuselah's than that of a human.

"What about you?" Abel pressed, moving the topic away from himself.

One of William's arms was in sling from where he had been injured earlier in the battle than Abel had been. The professor had remained close to Esther and later to both her and the pope. Despite attempting to leave when the fighting has started, the mist had blocked even the _Iron Maiden_ _II_ from taking off and leaving.

"I'll heal." William crossed into the room. "Caterina sent a message. She'll be arriving shortly."

"But that would mean she's leaving the peace talks with the empire," Abel stuttered.

"Seeing the crowning a new queen, especially one who used to serve under her, is a show of respect on her part, Abel," William pointed out.

Oh, Abel was well aware. It just meant a further delay in the talks for a treaty with the empire. Abel had hopped for at least one more step closer to where they needed to be for a lasting peace with the empire. To finally find his end after all these centuries of pain in keeping the final promise he had made to Lilith… well, the Lilith of this reality. Not the one of the other reality. That one didn't seem to like him too much.

"There was a matter she stated in the message about the imperial ambassadors as it is. They're coming here." William settled himself across from Abel. "Apparently two of them know Esther."

"Ion and Asthe then?" Abel managed to make his voice a little higher and a grin with excitement he didn't feel towards seeing the two imperials again. He had no desire to be treated like a rag doll right then. Or be sneered down at by his son's descendant.

"Yes, as well as another noble. I believe his titles was the Duke of Tigris."

Abel forced back the urge to frown. "B… but the duke was killed by Asthe when Esther and I were in the empire."

William gave him a sharp look. "I know you're not big on formality, Abel, but please call her Princess Esther now."

Abel spluttered a little.

True, he should attempt to be formal with Esther.

"As for the duke, I doubt it's the same duke you encountered as it is."

This, it just didn't add up. Solomon's line had ended. Not with Sulayman's death, but with the death of another. There were none left related to him. At least, there weren't as far as Abel had read in the books back in the empire. Unless he counted Asthe, but she wasn't a "duke." Duchess, yes, duke, no.

"When do they arrive?"

"A few hours." William stood. "We had best prepare to greet Cardinal Sforza on her arrival."

Abel stood and moved to get into the rest of his robes. There was no one he could think of who would be take the position of Duke of Tigris, not after Sulayman's betrayal. It wouldn't be seen as a good position to hold in the empire. If anything, no matter Seth's relationship with the first duke, they would have fallen out of favor with the empress and no longer hold the second highest seat within the empire next to the Fortuna family.

Abel pulled on the fresh robes and pushed his glasses back into place. The world blurred, as it always did, when his glasses were on.

He and William headed for where the two airships would be docking.

It was crowded when they arrived at the station. People were arriving in droves to at least be in Londinium when the new queen was crowned.

Abel shuffled behind William, keeping his head low and watching where he was putting his feet so as not to trip. A few humans pumped into him from time to time. It was impossible to make himself small. Instead he rolled a little with each new impact to avoid bringing harm to the human who had bumped him.

"God, is that," a familiar voice almost breathed.

Abel could only hear the voice because of his sharp hearing. Any other near him wouldn't have been able to hear it at all.

"Father Nightroad!" his name was shouted over the bustle of the crowd.

Abel straightened in time to see a young woman jump and wave before racing through the crowd. He blinked. "Um, hi?"

"You don't remember me?" the young woman stopped before him. She looked up at him with a freckled face and bright eyes.

"J-Jessica!" Abel stared at her. She had aged since he had last seen her three years ago. "I didn't recognize you in that pilot's uniform," he lied. It was hard to recognize anyone when they were nothing but blurs. "You passed your test, congratulations! I knew you could do it!"

The crowd was clearing around them.

"Thank you," Jessica stammered, flushing. "I only passed because of what happened when I met you, Father."

He had met Jessica aboard the _Tristian_ when it had been highjacked and set to crash into Rome. Together, they had managed to defeat the Methuselah who had highjacked the ship and bring the _Tristian_ in for a safe landing.

"Father, who is this?"

Abel stiffened at the sound of Esther's voice.

Jessica paled and bowed. "Sorry, your Majesty, I didn't see your approach," the girl mumbled. "It was good to see you again, Father Nightroad. You need to tell me the next you're in Londinium. I still owe you that sandwich." Jessica kept low as she started to back away from Esther.

Abel took her should and moved her back. "Esther, this is Jessica. We meet three years ago during a high jacking. She's a brilliant pilot!"

Jessica had gone bright red and he could feel her shoulder stiffen under his hand.

Esther blinked. "You're a pilot, like Sister Kate?"

"Umm, yes, your majesty." She looked down. "I actually now pilot the _Tristian_." She nodded over to where the ship was docked not too far from where they stood.

"Wow," Esther stared at the airship. "It's almost as big as the _Iron Maiden_."

Jessica shifted.

Air rushed up around them.

"I wasn't aware you would be accompanying us, Princess Esther," William greeted Esther.

"I heard her Eminence was coming in and was his Excellency," she called over the rising rush of wind.

Abel looked up. He saw Jessica's jaw drop out of the corner of his eye at the sight of the _Iron Maiden II_. The girl had seen the original which had been smaller than the new one. But this wasn't even the most impressive of the two docking airships. While not as big, the sheer beauty of the other airship was unmatched. Its windows were tented, and the insignia of the empire was emblazoned on the side. Despite even its size, no noise came from it as it docked beside the Vatican airship. An impressive display of technology on the part of the empire.

Jessica stood frozen at Abel's side as the hatch dropped on both airships.

Caterina exited the _Iron Maiden II_. She was flanked by two agents: Tres and an agent Esther would never have met, Kaya. The girl's hair poked out from under her habit.

The imperial nobles came next. The sun had set so none of the were wearing any protective gear. It made it all too clear who they were.

Esther took a step towards them, smiling.

"Esther!" a high voice exclaimed. Ion Fortuna darted forward and stopped before Esther. He flushed. "It's good to see you again, Esther," the boy said with a small flush to his pale cheeks. His eyes seemed locked on the fact Esther was dressed in an elegant dress instead of her normal nun outfit. His face reddened.

Asthe moved over to them while the other noble moved a little slower. The man was too blurred to make much out of, other than he was the same build as Sulayman had been.

"What happened to you?" Asthe demanded as she stopped before Abel. "Fall on your face."

"Umm, no, well, it's like this," Abel started, but Asthe was already turning from him to Esther.

Esther paled as the other noble came closer. "S," she started to stammer, "Sulayman."

Abel felt himself stiffen. Not at the sound of the name, but at the sight of the man who stood near Caterina. A ghost of an old friend, one he knew to be dead. This, it couldn't be. He couldn't be alive.

"Solomon," the name slipped from his lips as an almost pained breath.

* * *

 **(Author's Note:** So, I decided to not even go into details over the battle because there is just too much I would have rewrite from the manga and I honestly don't want to make this into that kind of story where I write existing story. Thus, we are time skipping to when the nobles arrive in the Vatican and again to just after the battle for Albion. **)**


	6. Deal for Peace

Abel stared at the half-blurred figure before them. He could make out more details given his glasses had slipped down his nose. There was no mistaking the man who stood a few paces from Caterina, Tres, and Kaya. His dark, loosely curled hair was combed back from his face save for a few strands which fell free from the pony tail and fell around his face in a frame. If his hair had been messier he would have almost been the image of Sulayman or, more over, Sulayman would have been the image of him.

Another difference was within the eyes. Sulayman's gaze had been a light, almost cold gray. This mans was brown, warm despite the blank, familiar expression he wore.

Ion looked between Esther and Solomon before straightening a little. "He's not Sulayman, Esther," the boy explained. "This is Duke Solomon, the original Duke of Tigris."

And there it was.

"Oh." Esther flushed, but Abel barely heard her through the ringing which pierced into his ears.

Abel took a step back from one of his oldest friends. How? Why? Solomon shouldn't have… he should have lived his life in peace and passed long before now. Why was he here? Why had denied himself a normal life?

Abel took another step back, unable to tear his eyes from Solomon.

"Father Nightroad, are you okay?" Jessica's question jarred through the ringing and heat which filled Abel.

He blinked and managed a small laugh as he tore his gaze from Solomon. "Yes, guess the wound is just bugging me that's all."

Half of his reply was drowned by a thud and sudden shouting, "Red! Red!" A burly priest barreled out of the _Iron Maiden II_. He staggered before racing across the space to Esther.

Esther was swept into a bear hug by the man who had appeared. He lifted her off the ground and spun round and round.

"Leon!" Abel shouted at the other priest.

"Let her go!" Ion leapt at the priest faster than anyone could blink.

Oh, hell! Abel thrust himself between them. Pain lanced through him as Ion's blow sent Abel to the ground. It was better than Ion attacking Leon. Blood filled Abel's mouth. His arm ached from the from the force he had stuck the ground.

Leon set Esther down. "I'm all for beating that airhead any day, but what was the for?" Leon glared at Ion.

"You," Ion started, "you attacked Esther."

"What?" Leon took a step back, eyes wide. "I didn't attack her, brat."

"It looked like it and who are you calling brat, terran? I'm an imperial noble."

Abel got to his feet. His gaze flickered to Solomon. The ex-head of military affair's eyes had narrowed. His hand curled and the ring was starting to activate by the barest hint of red in the center of the ring.

"Count of Memphis!" Solomon called Ion to order. His voice had barely raised above normal tones.

Abel stiffened. The tone had been enough to call many soldiers to order during the human-Methuselah War no matter how nosy the room had been and how soft a tone Solomon had used.

"We are here for a peace meeting, not for attacking priests for merely greeting a friend."

Ion backed up, looking almost like a hurt cat. It was a rather amusing image to see him as a blond, fluffy cat, ears pinned and eyes stretched wide.

Leon huffed and turned back to Esther. "How are you? Tell me if anyone's miss treating you. I'll set them straight. You were stuck with that dunce again after all."

Abel opened his mouth to retort when he caught Caterina looking at him. Abel fell in beside her. She waved Kaya back so the two of them could speak. "What does the situation look like here?" she whispered as their group started off.

Abel gave a soft quick report, lest anyone overhear his tone turn serious. "William can give you more on what happened." He was careful to leave out the appearance of another reality in their own. He really would come off as being insane if he mentioned it.

The group proceed back to the palace without insocendent. Solomon hadn't moved from his position near Asthe and Baybars, he didn't even glance back towards Abel. It was a matter Abel was more than grateful for. It wasn't so much he didn't want to talk with Solomon, more he didn't want to be a fool before his old friend.

Abel fell silent and stepped back from Caterina's side. Kaya shot him a harsh look and returned to her place beside Caterina.

"You're being awfully quiet." Asthe had dropped back now as well.

"What? Are you sick or something, four-eyes?" Leon dropped back from Esther's side.

"What? No!" Abel denied.

"You're never quiet, four-eyes, if anything it's a pain to shut you up." Leon smirked. "Let's check."

Pain shot through Abel's a gut. He gasped. "What was that supposed to prove?!" He demanded through watering eyes.

Air was knocked out of him the next moment as Asthe took hold of his collar and shook him.

Abel gasped, but didn't dare to fight her. He wouldn't have had the strength even if he wanted to as it was. The battle for Londinium had taken most of his energy. He supposed he could have thrown her off, but it would only injury her.

"Duchess." Solomon had stopped. "Not the time."

Asthe released Abel.

Abel collapsed, gasping and rubbing his neck. His eyes watered.

Solomon glanced at him.

Abel didn't break his eye contact. There was no way he could tell Solomon not do anything to help beyond what he had already done.

Abel managed to return the quarters he shared with William before anyone noticed him again. It was more than likely Solomon had noticed, but it was nice pretend he hadn't. Never had Abel imagined his past coming back to like this. Sure he had met up with his sister in the empire and now had Lilith and her daughters from another reality. But this? No, his friends, he had assumed all of them were long gone.

When he had been in Byzantium, when they had been hunting down Radu, Abel had paid a visit to caged off section of the island of beloved children. In this section, all of the first generation of Methuselah were buried. At the top of the hill rested a tomb with two caskets, both standing empty. The tomb of the emperor and the first empress of the empire. His and Lilith's tomb in the empire.

In ring around the tomb rested the five families of the emperor's inner circle. Solomon's name had been on one of the tombstones alongside his second wife. Abel had paid his final respects to his old friend, to all of his old friends.

And now…

Now one of them was here. _Alive_.

This, it just couldn't be real.

Abel stared at his feet. His bangs had fallen as a curtain around his face.

Yet, should he be shocked? Perhaps not. Still, no one deserved the pain of either living almost ten centuries or waking to an unfamiliar world. Neither were an experience to relish.

Someone was coming.

Abel straightened and pushed up his glasses.

Sure enough, William entered their room. "Caterina wants to speak with you."

"Thanks, Professor." Abel grinned and stood. "Sleep well."

William nodded and head for his bed.

The halls were silent outside of the guards which patrolled them. They paid Abel little attention. It wasn't hard to find Caterina's room. Tres stood just outside the door. On the otherside of it was the unmistakable figure of Baybars.

"Evening, Baron," Abel tried to keep his voice polite as he looked at the Baybars who was the living image of his ancestor.

Baybars only glanced at Abel and nodded.

It was odd to see one of the yeniçeri outside of the palace when he had been in the empire. It was even stranger to see one in Albion. Odder still because Baybars was the head of the yeniçeri. Not only that, but he was before the door into Caterina's chambers. This most likely meant Solomon was within.

Abel shoved the thought down and stepped up to the door. There was a soft sound of voices beyond the door. He knocked.

"Enter, Abel."

Abel slipped into the room.

Caterina was seated on the small couch. Solomon stood, looking out the nearby window. It might not have looked they had been talking, but this wouldn't have explained the voice he had heard earlier.

There was no point in keeping the "act" when Caterina had requested he never act that way when they were alone. Then there was the fact Solomon knew Abel from long before Abel had sold his freedom to the Vatican.

The room cleared as his glasses fell against his chest. "I presume there is a reason you summoned me, Lady Caterina." Abel bowed low to her.

Caterina's eyes narrowed, monocle flashing in the candle light.

Abel managed a sad smile. "Forgive me, Caterina," he corrected.

Caterina gestured to the seat across from her.

Abel straightened and took it. He glanced at Solomon out of the corner of his eye. Solomon was looking at them despite having not turned.

"The empire has one condition before signing a peace treaty and trade agreement with the Vatican," Caterina started. She held out a letter to Abel.

Abel took it and opened it.

The handwriting was very familiar to him. It was Seth's. The letter was addressed to Caterina and laid out everything the Vatican would get if they agreed to the one term outside of the normal terms of both the peace treaty and trade agreement. It promised twenty years of free goods from the empire in exchange for the release of –

Abel felt his eyes widen for a heartbeat. For him.

He looked at Caterina. "It's more than a fair trade," he pointed out as he folded the letter. He held it out to Caterina.

"But is it you want, Abel?" Caterina pressed.

All their efforts, everything he and Caterina had worked towards the past thirteen years rested on his choice now. Everything he had done for the past eight centuries. In the end, was there ever really a choice?

Abel gave her a small almost tired smile. "Does it matter?" He looked towards Solomon.

The noble turned to them at last. "Your place is in the empire," Solomon stated in even tones. He spoke in the imperial language. "It's your home."

Caterina's eyebrows rose at this. "I have been tutored in the imperial language for thirteen years, Duke Solomon," she told Solomon, also speaking in the imperial language.

Solomon bowed his head to her. "I expected no less," he had returned to the Romain Common language. His gaze returned to Abel. "It is your choice, in the end, Abel."

Abel raised his eyebrows at this. "No, it isn't, Solomon and you're well aware of this." He turned back to Caterina. "No matter what, there needs to be peace between the Vatican and Empire. One which doesn't rely on secret groups enforcing an invisible line between the two nations."

"I know." Caterina met his gaze with her own. She took a deep breath. It sounded pained to his ears, but not with any illness or physical pain. Abel knew he had been her friend and mentor since their fateful meeting thirteen years ago.

Abel wanted to comfort her, but there was nothing he could say to do so. He would always be her friend, but there was no telling when he would next see her once he was taken to the empire. Both of them knew this and thus there was no point in empty promises on the fact he would see her again one day.

"Your ID and gun, Abel," Caterina kept her voice even.

Abel bowed his head, eyes half closed. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet and his identification card which marked him as an agent of the AX. He stood and undid the belt around his waist which held the gun William had made for him when the agency had first started up. He placed the gun on the end table before placing the wallet and card in Caterina's hand.

The last item Abel removed was his glasses. "I suppose there is no need to keep up the act now then." He set the glasses down by the gun.

"No, there isn't," Caterina stated. She was forcing herself to remain straight, a show for Solomon's sake more than anything else. "All your personal effects were brought from both your room in Rome and the tomb of the Black Lady Saint." She gestured to a small pile on the table near the door. "You will change and leave your priest robes with me. You're no longer a priest or agent of the Vatican."

Abel moved over to the items. It was a collared shirt and his old coat. A case was set next to it no doubt containing 04. The last item was his old sword, 'Only One,' wrapped in countless layers of cloth. Abel gathered up the items.

"The robes will be returned before dawn," he stated.

Abel heard Solomon moved from the window. "Good evening, Cardinal Sforza. The first of the trade will come from the empire with the first month of our return." Solomon strode towards the door. "This way." He opened the door.

Abel paused and looked one last time at the girl he had once saved. "Goodbye, Caterina."

No response came from her. She just kept staring at the far wall, posture noble and features composed. The Iron Lady she had to appear as before others. Not the girl he had come to know so well. She was too guarded before him.

Abel turned away from her and stepped out into the hall.

Solomon led Abel down the halls to another room in a hall which held no windows. It must have been where the others from the empire were staying. It would keep them safe during the imperial night from the sun.

All the while Abel heard the heavier steps of Baybars following them. He didn't turn to the guard, understanding for the first time why a member of the yeniçeri was here. It had to do with who Abel had once been, nothing to do with the fact Solomon was from the founders of the empire.

"Why are you here, Baron?" Abel asked, despite the conclusion he had drawn.

"I thought that would be clear," Solomon stated.

Baybars straightened. "Given you're following the Duke of Tigris, it's clear you're returning to the empire," Baybars explained. "As you are not only a member of our current royal family, but also the original emperor, Abel Nightlord, you are required to have at least one of the yeniçeri at your side from this point on."

"Really?" Abel looked at the head of the yeniçeri. "I don't recall you being near to the empress during the events which transpired when I was last in Byzantium."

The baron regarded Abel with an almost event look. "Her majesty was never in any real danger. I was aware if none of my guard were near to her, then the founder Solomon would be."

Abel glanced at Solomon. He kept his mouth shut until his old friend led him into a room off the hall. The door snapped closed behind them.

A soft light filled the room. Solomon moved around the edge of the room, turning on the lights.

"All right," – Abel set down what little he owned – "what the hell is going on?" he demanded. "As far as every history book in the empire is concerned and the tombstone I found, you died, almost seven hundred years ago."

Solomon turned him. "As far as history is concerned, you have no first name and died at the end of the terran-Methuselah War."

That was a good point. "But why? And what did you do? Cryo?"

"No, with Thomas's help I developed a serum which once injected made it so I could remain, in the shadows, at Seth's side."

Well, this was worse than cryo. Living for so long…

"Why?" Abel pressed. "You had a wife, a son."

"Jaya," Solomon called his second wife by name, "and I had split by that point. She wasn't happy with my choosing service to the empire over her and our son." His expression softened in the harsh light of the room. "As for why, for the same reason you left the empire. A promise to Lilith and our people."

"Still," Abel trailed off.

"I don't regret anything, Abel. If anything, I am grateful, for it has allowed me to see your safe return to the empire."

Abel bowed his head.

Solomon lifted an empty class and a knife. He pulled off his glove with his teeth and set the glass on a higher surface. The sweet scent of Methuselah blood filled the air and was followed by the gentle sound of blood running into glass.

Thirst clawed at Abel. 02 hissed their longing through his mind. Abel closed his eyes, trying his best to ignore the scent of fresh blood.

A spoon almost rang against the glass. The scent sweetened.

Then he felt his hand forcibly lifted and a glass pressed into his hand.

"Drink."

Abel made to set down the glass, but Solomon's hands kept him from doing so. Abel's eyes locked ono the other man's. Solomon looked straight back at Abel without flinching. There was no sign of fear or unease as they locked gazes. Yet, such was it to be in the presences of one from the first generation.

"Drink," Solomon pressed, gaze almost intense. "You need to get back to your old strength. No more hiding, Abel. No more running. No more pretending to be what you're not. You are free."

Abel couldn't slip his hand from the glass. Solomon's grip kept his hand wrapped around it. "I don't want blood," Abel growled even as he tasted his own blood in his mouth. He could feel the very tips of his fangs starting to grow.

02's voice increased in volume.

"It's not a matter of want, Abel. Your body needs blood. None of us ever wanted to drink blood either." There was something more in Solomon's voice. The smallest hint of fear only Abel or Seth would be able to pick up.

Abel reluctantly took a sip of the blood. It had been sweetened with sugar just as he used to take it before leaving the empire to end the war. The moment the first taste touched his tongue the need became overpowering. He downed the glass in a few famished gulps.

Solomon stepped back. "You're going to drink at least one glass with every meal from here on out." The old leader of the imperial military turned away from Abel. "You should not be that weak."

As Solomon passed where Abel had set the few items he owned, Solomon took the coat and shirt. Solomon then pulled out a case and opened it. Several articles of clothing were laid out on the bed and Abel's old coat was folded back into the case.

"Change," Solomon instructed Abel, "I will see your robes, armor, and boots are returned to the Vatican."

Abel looked at the clothing laid out of the bed. He could just tell all of it was finery.

Solomon crossed the room once more. He lifted 'Only One' as he headed for the door. "I will return in an hour with another glass."

A protest formed on the tip of Abel's tongue. Before he could voice it, Solomon left the room.

The door snapped shut behind him, leaving Abel with only glimpse of one of his oldest friends and Baybars standing guard just outside the door. Their voices were soft from the other side. Even with Abel being further from the door, he could make out what they were saying.

"Don't let him leave," Solomon instructed the head of the yeniçeri

"Understood."

Abel moved away from the door. He could just hear the sound of footsteps also moving away from the door. It must have been Solomon going off somewhere. Not that it mattered where Solomon would go, he would back in an hour. By the man's faintest reactions and his words, Abel assumed he would be returning with more blood as well.

There was far more in this room than the one he had shared with William. Not that this was shocking. They were chambers meant for visiting nobles, not commoners. There was a sitting area much like had been seen in Caterina's chambers and a rather soft looking bed.

It was truly a noble's chambers.

Abel crossed over to the bed. His gloved fingers ran over the sheets before he came to the coat Solomon had laid out. It glittered with more wealth than Abel had even worn when he'd been the emperor. Granted, he had never worn the formal wear of the emperor. The war had kept him from such matters.

This coat was far more expensive than all the clothing Abel had back then. Just by the jewels and embroidery work alone.

Abel pulled off his glove and touch the fabric. Sure enough, it was made from the same material as his old coat had been. A fiber line with Solomon's special technology which would guard against fire and bullets. No doubt most, if not all, of Seth's dresses were made from the same material.

There was no point in delaying changing.

His fingers ran down the rosary he wore. It was the one matter he wouldn't give to the Vatican. This was Lilith's, he's beloved's cross, not the Vatican's. He carefully removed Lilith's cross and laid on the bed near to the finery.

Abel stripped his robes. He changed only into the fine pants before lifting the shirt. The material was smooth and light in hands. He carefully put it on, just so he wouldn't be walking around shirtless, or more over so he wouldn't be walking around flashing the bandaging he still wore from after the battle. The wound was healing faster now he had blood, but it would still take time before it was gone.

The robes were folded and placed near the door along with the boots.

Abel then lifted Lilith's cross and turned off the lights in the room. He found the one part of the room not covered in the soft, rich carpet and settled himself on the ground. His back pressed against the wall.

The finery didn't feel right compared to all the other clothes he had worn for the past eight centuries.

There was no going back if he wanted to keep his promise to Lilith. If there was to be peace, Abel had to return to the empire. But he never wanted to be an emperor again. He never wanted power.

Then there was the fact he couldn't just forget about those from the alt reality. Not after all the alt Cain had done to help him keep this world and its people safe.

x – Solomon – x

Solomon stopped partway to the room he had been given. He requested a fifth room for the person they had been sent to find from the princess and she had been happy to help. More for Ion and Asthe than anything else. Solomon was very aware he unnerved the next queen of Albion.

This was nothing new. Solomon was rather used to unnerving people. Most of the time he unnerved them through his lack of showing emotion.

The thought of the next queen wasn't what made Solomon. It wasn't even what weighed on his mind. He lifted his bare hand. The cut had healed, but not the feeling of Abel's hand under his own. Skin which felt colder than death. The feeling as Abel had tried to slip his hand from Solomon's grip. Even without trying to harm Solomon, the feeling had been far too weak for a crusnik.

All the pain Abel had been forced to endure these past eight centuries, it was Solomon's fault. While he hadn't killed Lilith, Solomon had been the one to decide to follow Abel's plan. When the others had learned the truth, outside of Athina Asran who would never have seen reason over the matter, they had wanted to rescue Abel from the clutches of the Vatican. It had been Solomon who made them see this was for the best for their people. The only way they would never lose everything in the attempt for peace.

The only way they wouldn't completely lose their leader and friend.

There had only been one time in Solomon's life he remembered ever feeling as if Abel was weaker than him. It was right before the Civil War back on Mars. When Solomon had been fused with the bacillus but Abel had yet to be fused with the crusnik.

Abel's skin being as cold as death had to do with a matter Solomon had learned from Aran, Abel's youngest adopted son and one of Solomon's nephews. Aran had been the leading, if not the only, expert on crusnik biology. As Abel's son and Seth's nephew, he had their complete trust plus being a doctor and far more interested in the topic than anyone before him.

In a conversation before Aran had left for Milan to be with his family, Solomon had been passed the notes over crusniks by his nephew. Aran had pointed out in his notes, Abel was forcing himself not to drink blood. It had gotten to the point he had become dangerous around Methuselah for a brief moment when he lost control of 02. The nanomachines had forced him to kill one of the children who had once been a ward of Abel's.

The notes had continued before this, Abel hadn't been drinking blood enough that he was starting to slow. It wasn't as noticeable, but Aran feared his father would enter a state of hibernation if he didn't drink blood or eat large amounts of food to act in the same place. He had theorized if the hibernation lasted long enough, there could be permanent side effects.

Solomon shoved back the thoughts and moved to his own quarters. He put down "Only One" beside the case which carried the near complete replacement sword.

There was a task of far greater importance Solomon needed to worry about before completing the new blade. Solomon took two classes and the knife he had originally taken from Abel's room. He sanitized the blade before heading out of the room once more. There was just the right amount of time to gather a glass from Ion and Astharoshe. He only hoped the two of them didn't ask too many questions to why Solomon needed a glass of their blood.

He exited his room and moved to Ion's chambers. He knocked.

There was a long pause before the door opened.

Ion blinked up at Solomon. "Duke!" the boy exclaimed. "What are you doing here?" A slight blush was visible on the boy's face.

"May I?" Solomon gestured into the boy's room. He could just hear the sound of Astharoshe's voice beyond the door as well as another, less familiar voice.

Ion hesitated before he nodded and stepped back so Solomon could enter the room.

Sure enough, the Duchess was seated in the chair in the small sitting area of Ion's quarters. Another young woman was there who Solomon recognized from when they had arrived. "Princess Esther." Solomon bowed his head. "A pleasure to see you here."

The princess shifted a little. Unease glittered in her blue eyes as she looked at him.

"Duke Solomon," Astharoshe greeted him. "If I may ask, what are you doing here?"

No point in beating around the bush. Solomon lifted the two glasses. "I need a glass each of your blood."

Astharoshe blinked.

"What?" Ion asked.

"Why?" The duchess frowned, her eyes narrowed a little.

Solomon crossed to the coffee table and set down the two glasses and the knife. "It will help someone who needs it." Solomon stepped back.

"That's not an answer, again!" Ion exclaimed. He flushed. "Um, with respect, Founder."

Asthe looked at Solomon. "You have been dancing around our questions since all of us were assigned this mission." She lifted the empty glass. "I understand you don't have to explain yourself or your actions to us especially given you were the one given lead on this mission. But also because you're one of the founders from the five trusted families. Still," – she looked at him – "it would be nice to understand a little more about what's going."

Esther looked between them. She seemed more than a little lost despite them speaking in Albionese so as not to be rude to the princess.

Solomon let out a small breath. He looked at Esther. "If you wouldn't mind, your Highness, what I have to say regards my nation alone."

The girl blinked and glanced at Ion.

Ion bowed his head. "I'm sorry, Esther, but he's right." He looked at the floor as if he didn't want to say this to Esther. "I'll talk to you later though." He smiled at her.

"As well I," Asthorashe bowed her head to the princess.

Esther nodded. She looked more than a little disappointed. "Goodnight." She stood and bowed to them a little. Though when she straightened she was blushing. She must have forgotten her rank was now higher than that of a nobles. Esther hurried towards the door but paused there. "I'll meet you both for breakfast?" She pressed. "I'll see if Father Nightroad wants to join as well."

"Sounds good!" Ion grinned though his eyes said, "I could do without him."

"It does, just remember to keep the windows closed," Asthorashe reminded her.

"I will." She smiled before she left the room.

Solomon settled himself into one of the chairs in the room. "You are both aware I passed the Cardinal a letter during the meeting back in Rome." Now the princess was out of the room, Solomon returned to speaking in the imperial language. There was no longer a need to speak in any other language.

"Yes," Asthorashe said with a slight frowned. "You stated what the empire was asking for would see trade to the Vatican without payment for twenty years."

"What could be so valuable we'd just give the Vatican technology for free?" Ion asked.

"Over eight centuries ago, the war with Albion and the Vatican was dragging out to the point even our nation was suffering from prolonged war," Solomon started with a part of history these two would know. "The emperor and his younger sister decided to meet with Lilith Sahl, the Black Lady Saint of the Vatican, in order to discuss stopping the war peacefully."

"And our empress," Ion interrupted with a nod.

"This is common knowledge," Asthorashe pointed out. "We were all taught, the eldest Nightlord saw the peace meeting as a betrayal. He lay in wait for Lilith. He killed Lilith in cold blood. The emperor and his sister fought their traitor of a brother before they managed to kill him. But both were mortally wounded and died slowly of their wounds."

"And with their deaths, an unsteady peace came between the Vatican, their alley Albion, and us," Ion recited.

"This is as history is taught," Solomon replied. "But not what really happened."

"So, I was right in assuming you and the other founders faked the emperor's death?" Ashorashe's eyes darkened. "But why would you do this? The emperor," she cut off as Solomon lifted his hand.

"Couldn't remain in the empire to lead it if there was ever to be peace. None of our royal line would have been tolerated by Albion, let alone the Vatican.

"However, we didn't want to lose our royal line and thus those who the emperor had trusted the most, the five families as we're now called, devised a plan to keep the youngest of the Nightlord siblings on the throne.

"She took a new name and hid her face from even her people, becoming the mother of the Methuselah, Empress Augusta Vladika. With our support, she was able to show herself as a capable ruler to the rest of the empire who had no idea who she really was."

Ion's eyes had grown wide.

Asthorashe seemed little better in her shock. She managed to find her voice. "What about his Majesty?" she almost breathed the question.

"Understand, beside his sons, Lilith meant the world to our emperor. She and his boys held his heart more than even our people did. Her death, broke him. But not to the point he couldn't make one last sacrifice for his people.

"He took Lilith's body to Rome."

"W-what?!" Ion stammered. "The emperor went to the Vatican? But they would have killed him."

"Pope Gregory had once been a friend of the emperor," Solomon informed the boy. "The pope convinced the Cardinals the emperor would be better used as an agent to keep the peace. To take the Black Lady Saints as the 'monster kept by the Vatican.'" The phrase felt foul on Solomon's tongue. "But they couldn't just let him roam free as they had with Lilith. The emperor was seen as far too dangerous, so they bound him chains with contracts which signed away all his freedom.

"He was bound, body and mind, to the pope. No matter how ridicules the order given was, he had to obey it, lest his end of the contract be destroyed, and war start back up between Vatican and the empire.

"He worked under the codename Angel for centuries, sent out to put down unrest and stop the sparks of war being lit into flames.

"When not out on a mission, he was kept in the catacombs behind Rome within the tomb of the Black Lady Saint."

Silence greeted his words. Solomon used to it to take a breath.

Then, in a soft voice, he continued the story, the real history of their people, "I was the only one out of the inner circle originally told what the emperor had done when his sister returned.

"But the only way we could maintain peace, to follow both his and Lilith's wishes, was to leave him with the Vatican. We need peace to get him back.

"So, I started to devise a plan which would help see our nation into peace with the Vatican. A real peace, not the one which has been forced. All to see the return of our emperor.

"It came to our attention the emperor's contract had been passed from the previous pope, not to the current one, but to one of the Cardinals. Cardinal Caterina Sforza."

"So, that was why you gave her the letter, but she said the person had a choice in the mater," Asthorashe pointed out. "It doesn't sound like his majesty has had a choice in anything for the past eight centuries."

"Yes, I confess to not understanding what she meant by this as well."

"She also said he was here in Albion," Ion piped up. "But the only ones who greeted her was a priest with a pipe, the idiot who came with us to the empire, and Esther."

Solomon smiled and gave a small, almost dull sounding laugh. He truly was amused by this comment on Ion's part. "Yes, and what an idiot to know so much about our capital to be able to slip in and out of the palace with little notice from the guard. To know happen to know of a passage which lead right through a canal under the palace.

"A man you both easily believed was terran and had grown up in the outer. Yet, was somehow fluent in the imperial language to the point he could pass as a servant within the imperial court. Did you never once question how he knew our language? When it isn't taught outside of the empire."

Asthorashe's eyes widened and her mouth opened a little from her shock.

Ion blinked. "I assumed he had just learned it when I was trying to teach Esther our language during the journey."

"Was he in sight?" Solomon pressed.

"Not that I could see."

"Were you on a boat?"

"Yes."

"Then I find it unlikely he would be in sight or hearing range." Solomon looked at the two nobles. "Now," – Solomon gestured to the glasses – "if you two wouldn't mind filling those glasses."

"You haven't explained why," Ion pointed out.

"For the emperor."

"That's not explanation," Ion complained.

"I will explain later."

"Fine," Asthe let out a breath and picked up the knife. She filled one of the glasses with her blood before cleaning and passing the knife to Ion.

Ion grumbled before he did the same.

"Thank you." Solomon gathered to the glasses and the knife. He left them with whatever thoughts and doubt they most likely had over who the emperor was.

Solomon left the room.

As the door closed behind him, he heard a shout, "Wait, what?!" Ion almost screeched in shock.

It seemed the reveal was starting to sink in for the young noble.

"It sounds like you told them the secret history," Baybars commented as Solomon crossed the hall.

"Some of it." Solomon nodded to the taller man and entered the room.

Darkness washed over him. It was more than clear Abel had shut off all the lights.

Solomon turned a few back on.

The room appeared almost empty at first glance. The fine coat and boots remained on or next to the bed. Abel's priest robes were neatly folded and placed by the door.

Then Solomon caught sight of a glint of gold. He moved around the funature until he spotted Abel in the only part of the room not covered in carpet. Lilith's cross was held loosely in his hand. Abel's wintery gaze only flickered in Solomon's direction for a heartbeat before turning to the cross. There was nothing but a hollow, empty pain in his eyes.

An echo. This was what Solomon had let his leader become. Just an echo of the great man he had been and still had to be.

Solomon settled himself on the ground beside Abel. He placed the glasses of blood between them. There was no need to force feed Abel the blood this time, he trusted Abel would know it was for the best to drink it.

In the same moment, perhaps denying himself blood wasn't just Abel's normal hatred for relying on the blood of a people he viewed as his own. It could very well go deeper into a self-loathing. The same knotting agony which ripped at Solomon now.

"Do you remember when you stopped eating healthy amounts for the sake of the colony?" Solomon broke the silence.

Abel's head bowed further, strands of his white hair falling around his narrow features.

"On the day all of us learned what you had done, you swore you wouldn't do it again." Solomon kept looking at Abel out of the corner of his eye. "How is this any different?"

Nothing but silence broken by the soft click from the chain of the cross.

"Just remember what you promised Seth that day, Abel." Solomon looked at his leader. What he really wanted to say was "remember who you really are. Fight the pain as you once did. Do it for your people if for no other reason." But he couldn't. The words would only be empty.

Solomon stood.

"Just remember you have people who will always care about you." Solomon crossed the room to the pile of clothing. "I will return after seeing these to the Cardinal."

The door snapped closed behind Solomon. It felt as if the sound had ripped out his heart. He had always known this wouldn't be easy. Yet, to see what the centuries had done to Abel, made it no less painful.

x – Elizabeth – x

"We're not safe until the last of that bastard's influence is gone!"

The angered shout greeted Elizabeth's ears despite the distance from the terran group she, her sister, and mother sat. They had been arguing nonstop since her uncle and mother and returned from the battle over Londinium.

"It's not the same person trying to destroy the world," he uncle argued in an overly calm voice. "Getting rid of the last person who served zero two won't do us any good now."

"He's here," snarled the first person.

"This is true," Vaclav's voice was just as calm as Cain's, "but he didn't appear to be bloodthirsty."

"Or wanting to destroy everything in sight that irritated him," Noelle pointed out.

"That woman is still a threat! She sided with him back home, what's stopping her from siding with whoever is trying to destroy this reality?!"

Shouts of agreement rose from the crowd.

"Don't pay attention to them, Bethy, they can't do anything to you."

"No, they can't," their mother agreed. Her golden eyes were locked on the terran who were talking about getting rid of Elizabeth. Lilith stood, the motion almost elegant.

"Mother, please, it's fine," Elizabeth whispered. They were just scared and hungry. The same as just about everyone there.

"Not when they're discussing the fate of one of my children." Her voice took on a hard note.

"Enough!" Cain's voice cut over the shouts of agreement to get rid of Elizabeth. "Right now, they are the only two here who can go above group to get supplies."

"What about you?" the first voice shouted.

A shout of agreement rose at this.

"I can't!"

The protest drowned whatever else her uncle was trying to say.

"Please leave it to Uncle Cain," Elizabeth pleaded with her mother.

"Uncle does seem to have them shouting at him now." Lilly nodded with a smirk.

That hadn't been what Elizabeth meant at all. She blinked at her sister.

"I know!" Lilly snapped her fingers. "Next, he'll have them shouting at nothing. What about that?"

"Lilly!" their mother scolded her.

"What? I was only trying to lighten the mood a little. It's almost bleaker than this cave." Lilly flicked her wrist at the cave around them.

"She went with him when he left the cave!" the voice rose once more.

"He's not the same," her uncle shouted back. "And I went with him as well. Are you calling me a traitor who needs to die now as well?"

An almost eerie silence fell over the cave.

"You don't need to hear this." Warmth wrapped around Elizabeth as he mother pulled her into an embrace.

It almost felt like she was back on Mars, safe in her mother's arms while the war worsened. Elizabeth closed her eyes. She wanted that safety. To just let the pain and the images of her father's death to melt away into the feeling of a child held once more by their mother.

Elizabeth was barely aware of angry shouts rising again.

The sound of someone moving beside her followed.

"Shut up!" Lilly screamed. "What the hell do any of you know about what's going on in this world?! What the hell do you know what it's like to want to you your parent?! Or what it is like to have killed said parent? Just shut up and leave my sister alone! She's suffered enough."

Elizabeth squeezed her eyes closed tighter, her hands over her ears.

This was only going to get worse, wasn't it?

Elizabeth only loosened the grip over her ears once she was certain she couldn't hear the hum from the continued shouting. Her mother still held her but she could hear another close to them now as well.

"We need help," Lilith whispered even as her thumb rubbed Elizabeth's forehead. "They aren't going to tolerate my daughter much longer, are they?"

"I don't know," it was her uncle. "It's more empty stomachs and fear talking right now than anything else. But, we do need help," he confessed. "And we can't stay here, but," he trailed off.

"But the you of this reality is trying to destroy the world," Lilith stated.

"Which means we need to turn to the dad of this reality." Lilly sounded almost smug.

"I don't know how much he can help us," Cain confessed. "He said himself the only ones who could was the empire."

"But we have to try!" Rock tumbled as Lilly no doubt leapt to her feet.

"Lilly Nightlord, sit back down."

"But mom," Lilly protested, "I'm the only one who can go find him and ask for his help to contact the empire."

"You don't even know the way to the palace," Cain pointed out.

"Yeah, well, I'll wing it. Hasn't failed me yet."

Elizabeth uncurled for her mother's embrace. "I can show her," the words were soft.

"Elizabeth." Fear glittered in her mother's eyes.

"We need a safer place, mother."

"We are the only two who can leave here given we never really lived in this reality."

Lilith stiffened.

"What? The alt dad said it himself. We died when the you of this reality was fused with zero four." Lilly shrugged.

Lilith stood and drew them both into an embrace. "Come back safely, both of you," her breath was warm on Elizabeth's ear.

"Mom!" Lilly wiggled to try and get out of the hug. "Stop it, we're not kids."

Elizabeth returned the hug. "We will. I promise."

The cave felt almost cold as their mother drew back. "Go." Her eyes were soft and filled with both worry and love.

* * *

 **(Author's Note:** I had a rant over how no one ever questions Abel, but, didn't want to take up a page for a note.

Sorry about more on the backstory. There will be more on Ion's and Asthe's shock after if finally sinks in what Solomon just revealed to them.

Lilly makes a strong return in this chapter. I am actually looking forward to writing more about her. **)**


	7. Request

Abel picked at the food before him. For the first time in centuries he didn't feel the aching hunger and thirst which had driven in him to eat so much food. There was also no longer an need to shovel the food into this mouth as if it were the last meal he would ever get. Given the fact he was no longer part of the Vatican, the order the pervious pope had given him to act as a fool and a goof no longer applied.

Earlier that morning, Solomon had forced Abel to drink another glass of blood. By the flavor he could tell it had been Solomon's blood. The other two glasses the night before must have been from Asthe and Ion. The one he knew he had tasted before while the other had been new. Not that he had taken pleasure in drinking either of the blood.

Solomon had been right. There was no difference between Abel's denying himself blood and how he had not eaten back on Mars.

Silence pressed down on the room, broken only by the soft tap of metal against fine china. Solomon was seated across from Abel.

Ion and Asthe were seated closer to the head of the table alongside Esther who had invited all but Solomon to breakfast this morning. When Abel had been invited, he knew she had accepted him to sit closer to her, but Abel didn't want to worry the girl with his sudden change in personality.

The only other ones there were Caterina, with Tres standing as a shadow behind the duchess of Milan, and the pope. Both were also seated closer to Esther, on the opposite side of the table from Asthe and Ion. Baybars had been told to sit between Abel and Asthe. The baron of Khartoum acted almost as a wall between Abel and Asthe.

The only ones talking were Caterina, Ion, and Esther. From time to time Alessandro would speak when someone addressed him or Asthe when Esther attempted to include her in the conversation. Asthe seemed more interested in casting glances towards Abel instead.

" _Abel, you need to eat_ ," Solomon pressed. He spoke in Hindi instead of the imperial language. The words felt almost foreign after so long of not hearing someone speak it. Hindi was one of the languages which had been lost after Armageddon.

Abel suspected he, Solomon, and Seth were the last three people on Earth who remotely understood or could speak Hindi.

Abel felt his eyebrows raise at this. " _Really, we're speaking in Hindi now. Isn't this rude to the children_?"

A small smile appeared on Solomon's features. It didn't reach his dark eyes. The smile was more off-putting than if he had kept his expression blank. " _Eat_ ," Solomon pressed and pointed his fork towards Abel's plate. " _Or do I need to force feed you your food as well as blood_?"

Abel scowled.

"Um," Esther's voice cut in before Abel could retort to Solomon's treating him like a child, "what language is that? It doesn't sound imperial." The girl looked very confused. She looked at Asthe and Ion. "Is it? I didn't hear it while in the empire."

"It's not," Ion assured her. He blinked. "I've never heard of anything like it."

Abel coughed.

"That would be because the language is now considered dead. There only three people left who speak or understand it," Solomon stated.

"Oh." Esther frowned. "What is it called? It sounds beautiful."

"Hindi." Solomon looked back Abel.

Abel let out a breath and started to eat the food. He resisted the urge to mutter about Solomon being overbearing under his breath. There were few languages Abel knew that Solomon also didn't know. Even if he picked another language now considered dead, Solomon would only reply to it in the same language.

"Is something going on?" Esther asked after a time. "I mean, you're not wearing your robes or glasses, Father Nightroad."

"Please, Princess Blanchett, don't call him 'father' anymore," Caterina stated as she looked up from her food. "Abel has been dismissed from the Ministry of Foreign of Affairs."

"He has?" Esther's eyes widened.

Abel glanced at the others in the room. It appeared Esther was the only one who hadn't gotten this information yet.

"B-but why?" Esther looked between Abel and Caterina.

There was a chill in the air which had nothing to do with the temperature. Abel looked towards the imperial nobles and back at Caterina. Neither group seemed willing to reply to what Esther had asked.

Ion shifted a little. He didn't look towards Abel or Esther and picked at his food while Asthe sat up straight, her eyes locked dead ahead.

Abel stood. "Excuse me, your majesty." He bowed to Esther and left the room. The sound of two people standing followed Abel quick departure.

The two who followed were Solomon, unsurprisingly, and Baybars who had been sticking to Abel since Abel had entered the new quarters the other night.

"They are bound to be uneasy." Solomon fell into step beside Abel. "And you need to eat, old friend."

Abel let out a breath. He didn't reply to Solomon.

The sound of quick footsteps sounded from the dining room they had left.

Abel turned to see Esther had followed them out. She was racing after them, holding up her skirt so as not to trip over the fine dress. Her face flushed and eyes glittering with some unknown excitement.

"Father Nightroad." The blush increased as she stopped before him. "I mean, Mister Nightroad."

"Please, Esther, just call me Abel." Mister? Ugh, that again. He remembered when Caterina had tried to call him "Mister" after she had met him.

The girl's blush darkened further if that was even possible. "Since you've left the Vatican," she started, the blush starting to tack over the rest of her face and creep towards her neck and ears, "I was thinking that maybe, if you wanted, you could stay here in Londinium."

Abel saw Solomon stiffen out of the corner of his eye.

He heard the soft click of armor as Baybars also moved. Neither imperial spoke, but it was all too clear they didn't approve of Esther's question.

The memory of the letter Caterina had been given swam before Abel's eyes. There was no staying here or anywhere that wasn't the empire. Not if there was to be peace.

Abel looked at the young girl before him. A girl who he had thought looked like one of his daughters since the first time he had laid eyes on her without his glasses. And she did.

Sure Elizabeth had turned out to have hair the same shade of auburn as Lilith and Abel's paler, wintery eyes than Esther had. As well as being much taller than this girl, but there had always been a part of him which had seen Esther as a daughter. There always would be that part of him as well.

"Esther," he started. "I can't stay here."

The girl blinked, her eyes widening a little. Hurt glittered in her dark blue eyes. "Why not?" she asked, voice shaky despite what looked to be her best attempts to keep it steady.

Great he had hurt her feelings. "I have to go to the empire," Abel tried to explain.

"But, why? What's so important you have to leave?" The girl took hold of his shirt. The tears glimmered in her eyes. Then her eyes widened. She released his shirt and looked at what he was wearing for the first time.

Abel shifted aware he was still wearing the finery from the other night. He took a deep breath and knelt before the girl. "I'll still go to your coronation," he told her with what he hopped was a reassuring smile.

Esther shook her head.

"Esther?" Abel tried to get her to look at him, but she moved her chin from her his hand and glared at the wall.

"Don't bother," she almost growled the words, back straight. "You don't care." She turned, back now to him.

"I—" Abel started, prepared to explain what was going to the girl.

"I don't want you there!" Esther shouted. She raced back towards the dining room.

"Abel." Solomon placed his hand on Abel's arm.

"Perhaps it's better this way." Abel stood. He turned and started back down the hall towards the apartments.

Solomon followed him. "I doubt you believe that."

"No, I don't, but humans have short lives." The knowledge of his ripped into Abel's heart. "There is no telling how long it will be before I leave the empire again."

"Majesty," it was Baybars who had spoken.

"I am not the emperor, Baron of Khartoum, please don't call me 'majesty.'" Abel looked at Solomon. "Mind if we walk outside, old friend."

Solomon lift his hood and pulled out a pair of goggles. "Not at all. Just don't run off."

"I won't." Not unless Abel really wanted to lose the peace treaty.

Besides, now there was nothing he had to do today. Esther's coronation was today as it was. And now she didn't want him there. It was for the best he kept his distance until the others were ready to depart for the empire.

Yes, he closed his eyes, it was for the best.

x – Elizabeth – x

"Wow!" Lilly danced around, twisting on the sidewalk. "Just look how bright it is here during the day!" She clapped her hands, grinning. "Come on, Bethy, let's take a look around."

"We're here to ask for help," Elizabeth reminded her sister. She glanced around the streets. There were many people heading towards the palace this morning. Something big had to be happening.

Flames.

Elizabeth froze.

Flames sparked around the buildings. Lightning arced through through sky.

"Bethy!"

Her head jerked.

Lilly shook her. "Hey, Earth to Bethy, come in Bethy!"

"Stop it!" Elizabeth took her sister's hands off her shoulders. "We have a mission to complete." She started towards the palace.

Her heart raced. The image of their father in this world kept flickering in her mind. He was so very different compared the man she had, she had – Elizabeth took a deep breath. She shouldn't think about it. Not now. They needed his help. She needed his help.

No, that was selfish of her. After all she didn't deserve this chance. She had sided with him in their reality after all. But, all she had ever wanted was her father's love and trust.

A matter 02 could never give her.

"Come on, Bethy, stop being so moody. Mother and Uncle Cain won't let anything happen to you. So, smile a little." Lilly grinned and punched the air. "Now, let's find the dad of this this reality and enlist his help once more!"

Elizabeth blinked and looked away from Lilly. How could her sister always be so happy all the time? Perhaps that was just life for Lilly, happiness. She had never wanted to know their father. Never.

 _But he wasn't our father_ , Elizabeth argued with herself. _He was zero two_.

 _That didn't matter, I could have saved him. If only had been faster_. She could remember the air rushing passed her as she dove after her father. Not being fast enough to catch him before he struck the ground. The cold, lifeless body as it oozed blood which no longer held the scent of a crusnik to it. It had smelled terran. _I if had just been faster_.

 _Foolish_ , she shot back at herself.

 _Yes, perhaps I am foolish_.

"I see him!"

Elizabeth was jarred from her thoughts by her sister's happy voice.

"Come on, Bethy!"

Pain shot through Elizabeth's arm as her sister yanked her through the crowd. They burst from the throngs out into the open courtyard of the palace. There were a few guards here, but their attention wasn't on Elizabeth or Lilly. Rather they were walking around the courtyard, checking for other dangers. They must have seen the two of them just as young girls and nothing else.

Sure enough Abel was standing in the guardian with two figures Elizabeth had never seen before. Both were covered in protective gear which pointed to them being Methuselah and not Terran. One wore pure red armor with an odd symbol she had never seen before emblazoned on his cape.

The other was dressed in finery of a complex style she had never seen before. There was something about it which also reminded her of how their mother had dressed for a time.

"There you are!" Lilly cheered as she pulled Elizabeth behind her towards the Abel of this new reality.

Abel turned to them. It was then Elizabeth realized he was no longer dressed as a priest but in a fine shirt and pants. The pants reflected that of the other man beside him. His hair was still tied back, and his glasses were now missing as was his cross.

He frowned.

The taller man moved to block them from Abel.

"What's your problem!" Lilly glared at the man.

"It can't be," the other man breathed.

In the same moment, Abel gestured to the tall man. "It's fine, Baybars." To them he asked, "What are you two during here?"

"Elizabeth? Lilly?" the other man stepped towards them. He didn't sound remotely familiar. This must have meant he was someone who existed only in this reality, or that Elizabeth just had never met him before now.

"That's us, but, how the heck do you know our names? He said we died in this reality." Lilly flicked her wrist towards Abel.

The man's face was hidden from their view. It was impossible to tell how those words affected him.

"An interesting phrasing," he stated and seemed to look towards Abel.

"Oh, yeah, we're here because we need your help to save Bethy!" Lilly nodded. "Can you come, please?" Lilly finally released Elizabeth's arm as she clapped her hands together to beg.

"Slow down, what is going to happen to Elizabeth?" Abel asked.

"Well, it's like this. People are grouchy and cranky for being stuck in a dark, dank cave all day and night," – Lilly ducked down and waved her hands as if to illustrate the cave – "so, they want Bethy gone because she's the last one who sided with the you of our reality left. Talk of death and such." Lilly gagged, hands on her throat and fell back onto the grass. "That sort of thing." She leapt back to her feet. "Can you help?"

"What?" The tall man seemed to have gotten lost by her sister's explanation.

"Lilly, we're not here for me." She shot a glare at her younger twin. "Uncle and mother thought that if we could find another place where our people could be safe, it would sooth tempers."

"Oh, and given you mentioned something about the empire and contacting the empress, she thought you might be able to help." Lilly nodded. She took a few items she had stopped to buy on the way here. "Sucker?" She held out three to the men even as she plopped one into her mouth.

Abel took one. "Thank you."

"Perhaps you should explain what is going on, old friend."

"It might be—" Abel cut off.

Elizabeth gasped as her sister pulled both her and their father of this reality behind her. "Come on, no time to loss then!"

The other two raced after them, keeping pace despite the fact Lilly was running faster than any human. It just helped to enforce they were both Methuselah.

Lilly didn't stop until they were at the entrance into the underground. She blinked as if she had just noticed the other two had followed them. "Um, alt-dad," Lilly whispered to Abel in a voice Elizabeth could also hear, "why did those two follow us?"

"I doubt they will harm anyone," Abel stated.

The tall man stepped forward. "Is there a reason you dragged him all the way out here?"

"Yep!" Lilly lead the way into the passage.

Abel stepped up to Elizabeth, frowning.

There was a far more familiar scent which clung to him this time. Blood. It wasn't as sharp as she was used to, but it was there, mixed with the scent of earth and raw air. She knew 02 had loved blood, but it was clear this man, this version of her father, must have only drank some Methuselah blood, not almost bathed in it like the father of her reality had.

Elizabeth shivered. It was unnerving her to see the vast differences between this man and the father she had thought she knew. She stepped into the passage, wanting to get away from him. In the same moment she wanted to know about him. The real him. Not the man who had fallen to 02's control as he had in their reality. This was what her father would have been like without 02's control, right? And yet there was so much he had lived through which hadn't happened in their reality.

There was just no telling how many more differences there were between her father and this "alt-dad" as her sister had called him. Their mother was dead in this reality. They were dead in this reality.

She wanted to know more. Yet, she wanted to run the other way from this man. He was so foreign to her.

The soft sound of the other three following came to Elizabeth. She couldn't hear Abel, but she knew he had to be following. The tall man's armor clicked with each step he took while the other man walked almost as quiet as her father – alt-father, did.

Unease prickled through Elizabeth as she emerged into the cave. The people were tense, even as Cain and her mother moved to greet them. "What did he say?" Lilith asked Elizabeth.

Cold wrapped around Elizabeth as a ripple passed through the gathered people. She knew Abel and the other two had emerged.

"She brought him back," one of the terran whispered.

A loud clang sounded as the tall man thrust himself before Abel, drawing an odd, wicked pronged blade. But it wasn't the gun the tall man was reacting to. His sword tip came to rest, pointing straight at Cain.

" _Traitor_ ," he growled.

The other man had lifted his hand. A glow came from a strange wring on his finger. It expanded out, wrapping his other fingers. The red glow grew brighter.

"Solomon! Baybars!" Abel leapt forward. He only touched the other man's arm while he forced down Baybars's blade. "They come from another domination, a mirrored reality. This is not our Cain."

"Baybars?" Her mother stepped forward, eyes locked on the tall man.

The tall man lowered his blade and removed the protective gear covering his face.

Elizabeth stiffened. It was like staring at a ghost. Baybars had been killed alongside her aunt during the final battle for their Earth. Yet, he was, protecting Abel.

"But you died?" Lilly breathed, eyes wide.

Baybars frowned.

"Perhaps now it would be wise to get an explanation." The other man lowered his hood and the other protective gear covering his face. There was nothing familiar about him at all. Elizabeth had never seen him before in her life.

"Who are you?" Lilly demanded, glaring at the man.

"Odd," the man replied.

Abel frowned, his wintery gaze moving from the man to the rest of them.

"I am Solomon, the Duke of Tigris." Solomon gave them a slight bow. His gaze flickered to their mother and then to them. "I am amusing by the fact you are a priest," – he turned to Cain – "and the reaction to Abel was a poor one, your and Abel's positions are switched where you come from."

"That is the conclusion Abel and I came to when last he was here," Cain stated.

Lilith moved closer to their uncle.

Solomon's gaze came to rest on her, his eyes narrowed a little. "I see, so that is how the three of you are still around then." His gaze moved between Lilith and Cain. "Neither of you recognize me?" the was eerie calm, his face expressionless.

"No," Lilith confessed. "Also, Tigris is still within the desolate land. How is it you became duke of it?"

"Her majesty with the aid of my ancestor, Thema, and Founder Solomon here built a device which cleansed the desolate land," Baybars explained.

Lilith frowned. "Yes, Thema was working on such a device, but it ended up back firing and spread a little of the radiation instead of cleansing it. We had to abandon the project."

Solomon blinked. "And what of the proactive shielding around the empire?"

"What shielding?" Lilly piped up. "I know Aunt Seth tried to build something, but ended up not working out."

Solomon frowned.

Abel's eyebrows rose. "Strange. I know you were the one to make the break through on the particle shield, but still I had assumed if you hadn't helped Seth would have eventually figured it out."

"Hmm," Solomon sounded rather thoughtful. "If you wouldn't mind, I would like to see how you came to be in our reality."

Cain exchanged a glance with Lilith. "Very well." He turned. "This way."

x – Cain – x

The two were imperial nobles. Cain was distinctly aware of this as he led Solomon, Baybars, and Abel through the cave towards where the mirror was. Cain could just hear Solomon following beside Abel. Neither noble seemed willing to let Abel out of their sight. Then there was the fact Abel was now dressed in finery, though only a shirt and pants with nice boots, rather than the priest robes.

They arrived in the room with the darkened mirror.

Solomon moved up to it. "You destroyed the mirror in your reality?" he asked, voice even and calm.

"Yes. It was the only way to ensure the safety of our people," Cain informed the man.

Solomon knelt down, not seeming bothered he was getting dirty despite the finery he wore. He ran his gloved hand over the power source. "Abel."

Abel moved to join him.

"There is no mistaking this as UN technology." Solomon brushed the grim aside.

"Do you have a theory to why they would build such a device. If research into time travel was outlawed," Abel trailed off.

"This should have been as well," Solomon agreed. He stood and moved to a console built into the power source. "Let's see if we can learn who commissioned this."

"Assuming this is the reality it originated in and theirs wasn't the one it had."

"True." Solomon started to type away at the console.

Cain moved up to see what the man was doing. It appeared he was hacking into the system. He then placed his hand on the scanner which appeared.

"Access granted," appeared on the screen.

"How do you have access?" Cain asked.

"I was a member of the Red Mars Project," Solomon stated in response.

This made no sense. "But you're not a crusnik, are you?" Lilith asked.

A small, almost dull laugh escaped the man. "No, I am a methuselah."

"Then how are you alive?" Lilith's eyes narrowed and Cain shivered as the suspicion in her voice and eyes.

"A story for another time. Abel," he called to Abel, "what do you make of this?"

Abel moved to the man's side and frowned. "Isn't that your father's credentials among the representatives?"

"It is," Solomon confirmed. "It would appear the technology originated in our reality."

Cain frowned. "How can you tell?"

"It's connected the UN network, for one," Solomon pointed out. "Also, according to this, it was built do research on a realty which was close to our own." Solomon read through at the information at the same speed as Abel was.

It was impossible for Cain to see it given they were standing before the console as well as the fact he knew he couldn't read as fast his brother even when they had been children. A bitterness filled Cain's mouth. He couldn't explain it, but he wasn't certain he liked Solomon or how close he seemed to be to this Abel. Yet, how close was that? They seemed to be friends. It couldn't be they were more than that or that Abel viewed Solomon as a brother, right?

"What did it gather on our reality?" Lilith stepped up so she could see the screen as well.

"Not much. The system barely got into the UN network your side before Armageddon hit. There is information on members of the UN and their families as well as the four enhanced humans, or you four," Solomon informed them. "Other than this, there is nothing."

"So, what makes our realities different other which twin went insane when fused with the crusnik?" Lilly asked.

Solomon didn't reply. The information had stopped moving on the screen.

"This is." Abel frowned. "It says you never joined the military, Solomon."

Cain moved so he could better see the screen. It was paused on a news article. He remembered this article well. It had been something he had run across while just looking for interesting news. The article had caught his eye because the victim was the same age as his sister. He had been eighteen when the event happened, appear physically as twelve at the time.

The article had covered the murder of a representative's son on a trip to Rome. At the time, Cain had wondered if such a thing could have happened to Seth. He hadn't paid any attention to the boy's name.

His eye moved from the image of the boy in the article to the man standing beside this reality's Abel. Then back. The boy's name was Solomon and so was this man's name.

"Murder?" Abel frowned. "It says the murderer was never caught."

"Unsurprising," Solomon stated.

"So, one of the founding members of the empire, ended up being killed as a child in your reality." Baybars's eyes narrowed. "I can't imagine the empire without one of the founders."

"You don't sound shocked you died in our reality." Lilith stepped back, her eyes locked on Solomon.

"Should I be?" Solomon asked. He turned to them. "It's one of the differences between our realities. Though," – his gaze moved to the machine – "given when this was built, it does explain a few matters."

"Such as?"

"It doesn't matter."

Cain shivered. The emotionless tone was chilling.

"For now, we should focus on helping you where we can," Solomon stated. "Lilly stated something about getting in contact with the empress. Over what matter?"

"We need a better place to stay," Lilith started as she led them back into the main cavern. "And food. Abel mentioned the empire would be far more willing to aid us than terran nations."

"Terran?" Solomon asked.

"Yes, as in those who stayed on earth," Lilith explained.

"I am well aware of the meaning. I was only a little shocked to hear you refer to them as such, Lady Sahl." Solomon settled himself down when they reached a place to talk. "I am certain her majesty wouldn't mind aiding you." He looked at Abel. "What are your thoughts on this matter, old friend?"

"I have no say in it," he pointed out.

Baybars gave a sharp grunt. "Her majesty would listen to your opinion as would the empire, majesty."

"Abel," Abel corrected Baybars.

Baybars's eyes narrowed.

"Majesty?" Cain asked in the same moment Lilith and Lilly did as well.

"Never mind," Abel brushed aside the matter. "But if you were to render aid to them, wouldn't you have to contact Augusta?"

"Not at all. I have the authority to take them to the empire. If need be, we would build a place close to Tigris for them. However," – Solomon's eyes rested on Lilith, Cain, Lilly, and Elizabeth – "I know Seth would be interested in meeting all four of you, especially given you're from another reality."

Cain felt his eye narrow. "I'm well aware zero one control of the me in this reality and Lilith and my nieces are dead, but why would Seth want to meet with me? I was called a traitor by Baybars when you arrived here."

"Because you are her brother from a reality where you didn't instigate a war with Vatican and Albion which saw to our emperor selling his freedom for peace." Solomon's gaze bored into Cain.

He was rather happy the Solomon of their reality had died. This man was very unnerving.

Solomon stood. "If you would rather not have the empire's aid, I understand."

"No!" Lilly shouted. "We need it."

"We do," Lilith confirmed. "Very well, Duke of Tigris, what is your offer?"

"We will need to leave tonight. I will finilize a few matters today with Cardinal Sforza and the princess, but the sooner we leave the easier it will be on all of you." His gaze moved to Abel.

Abel scowled. "I'm not going to try to slip away the longer you delay, Solomon."

"Good." Solomon returned his gaze to them. "We will return during the terran night and you can all enter our airship." He bowed his head to them. "Until then, I urge all of you to keep low and gather what you have for we will only have about thirty minutes before Albion grows suspicious to what we're doing after landing."

"Very well." Lilith bowed her head in agreed.

Cain did the same. "We'll be ready."

* * *

 **(Author's Note:** Hey, when did Elizabeth suddenly turn into a character from my own book who fights with himself in his head all the time? Bethy, seriously, why did you do that to me? Oh well.

Also, I don't know why, but I suddenly pictured 02 just bathing in blood…

Another matter, Asthe wouldn't exist in their reality given she is related to Solomon. I think the Caterina of their reality, is a different one as well because Aran and Azul would never have been saved and raised by Abel.

And, wow, I never realized just how many projects Solomon helped on before now… **)**


	8. King's Gambit

Abel was left on the airship with Baybars while Solomon went back to the palace in order to attend the coronation. No matter how much Esther seemed uneasy around Abel's oldest friend, he was still the lead for the peace meeting and the highest ranked noble out himself, Baybars, Asthe, and Ion. Thus, he needed to attend the coronation.

"We might want to separate the terran from the methuselah groups," Baybars voiced as the two of them descended into the lower level of the airship. There was just enough space here for the hundred or so from the other reality. Or there would have been if they moved the supplies to the side of the cargo hold. It wasn't the best of conditions, but it would see them to the empire at the very least.

"We could move the crates to make it into a few different spaces," Abel suggested as he eyed the stacks of crates. They didn't appear too heavy, especially if he was the one to move them.

"I'll call a few servants." Baybars started back towards the stairs.

Abel moved to the crates. He glanced around the space and nodded to himself. Yes, it would provide a little privacy for those from the other reality. He shifted the first stake. They weren't heavy, it would just mean being careful as moved the entire of stake so as not cause them to tumble to the ground.

He used one hand to brace the middle crate before pushing the stack towards the center. The task wasn't a bad one, if not a little mind numbing. It wasn't long before he had made a line splitting the bay in two.

Abel had started to shift the crates for form a few rooms so people could have a little more privacy when he heard the sound of heavy metal boots against the steps. He didn't pause in the work, only glanced towards the stairs as Baybars reappeared.

The head of the yeniçeri froze, eyes wide. It was a moment before he regained his voice. "Majesty, what are you doing?"

"Sectioning the corgo hold," Abel stated. He shifted the stack he had been moving so as to form a corner of a room.

Baybars cleared his throat. "Majesty," the head of the yeniçeri started, "this isn't a task you should have concerned yourself with." Baybars continued down the last few steps into the cargo hold.

A few others followed behind him. All of them were dressed in the clothing of servants to the imperial family. Abel eyed them. It was rather odd Asthe and Ion hadn't questioned the fact there were servants who served the imperial family traveling with them. Perhaps it was a matter they just didn't question because it had to do with the empress.

There was much about the empire Abel had no knowledge about. The nation was secretive, and he hadn't been apart of it for over eighty hundred years now.

He moved his attention back to the head of the yeniçeri. "It wasn't a difficult task," he replied in even tones. Still, by the look in in Baybars eyes, Abel knew he should stop. He stepped away from the crates. "All which is left is getting a few more sections in the two spaces," he informed the servants.

They looked at him before bowing and moving off to complete the task.

Abel moved towards the stairs. He wasn't the emperor anymore. He hadn't been an emperor in centuries, rather a slave. Such tasks were given to him not others. He bit back pointing this out to the taller man.

"Founder Solomon asked I give you these," Baybars started. He held out a few books. "All of them are over empire's structure and what has happened within the boundaries since your departure."

"Thank you." Abel took the books. He shifted through the pile. There were six in total. Most were history books but two of them covered the political structure of the empire. And all of them were written in the imperial language. Not that this was shocking.

A small smile twitched at his lips. To read in his native language once more when it wasn't in secret. The thought was almost thrilling. He had grown so used to reading everything in Latin, when he had returned to the empire as Esther's guard, he had found himself enjoying the quiet hours of the imperial night as he read the books in Asthe's library without knowledge of anyone. It had been a treat and wonderful to see how the language had changed over the centuries. This time it wouldn't be secret.

"Founder Solomon thought it for the best you learned what has become of your empire and the structure before returning."

"It's not 'my' empire, Baron." Abel looked up from the books. "It's Augusta's." Abel turned and started up the steps before Baybars could reply. He didn't want to argue over this matter right now. His sister was the ruler of the empire not him. She was the one who had kept the empire together for eight hundred years. He had abandoned them. And he no longer knew if it had been for Lilith's dream of peace or his own selfish desire to remain with his love.

Perhaps there could have been a chance at peace if he had remained in the empire. Perhaps…

There was no telling what could have been. The alternative reality had only shown what would happen if he had lost to 02 and Cain had remained sane.

Abel stopped at the top of the stairs.

His daughters and Lilith lived in that reality. Yet, Lilith had called humans "terran." She was cold where the woman he had loved had been warm and loving, open and willing to give everything for Earth and all of its people. Not just humans or Methuselah, but all of them. She had believed there was hope for a world where the humans and returners lived in peace. The other Lilith didn't seem to share in this belief.

It was too early to decided there. To even know if this difference stimmed from him or not. Though, it couldn't be because of their daughters. It had to be because of him.

Abel shoved his thoughts aside. He found a quiet place and settled himself down to read. He had made it through the first book and was starting on the second when he heard others entering the main lounge on the ship.

"Do we really have to leave?" Ion was asking as he entered. "We could discuss more on peace with Albion," the boy pressed. Though to tone pointed to something more. His mind wasn't on peace or so Abel assumed.

"The final negotiations are for the empress to decide upon," Solomon stated in smooth tones. "As are the ambassadors she picks to travel to each nation."

The sound of teeth clicking made it clear Ion had been about to ask the unspoken question Solomon had answered. "But," the boy started to protest. He cut off.

Abel turned a page in the book, doing his best to ignore the others. A task made more difficult for he could feel Ion's gaze now locked on him.

Another settled across from Abel in the small sitting area. By the sound of the movement and the slightest glimpse of dark hair, it was Solomon. "Baybars informed me what happened earlier today," his old friend started. "You are no longer a slave, let alone a servant." There was gentleness to his tone. It was apparent only through the softened voice rather than any other means.

Abel closed the book he had been reading. He could still read it and hold a conversation, but it always came off as very rude. "I've not been a slave since Caterina burned the contract," Abel stated.

"But you still served her," pointed out the Duke of Tigris.

This was very true.

"Don't try to do the work of a servant," Solomon continued. The two of them had locked gazes, neither looking away. It was a reminder of the difference between the first generation and all others Abel had met. There was nothing of fear or unease when Solomon locked gazes, only the normal lack of emotion.

Silence. It was more than clear Solomon was waiting on a response, for Abel to cave and say he wouldn't try to act as a servant. But there was no keeping such a promise. Abel wasn't the emperor anymore. He had never, not even when he had been the emperor, tried to act higher than his people. He had worked on the farms, aided in the rebuilding the city, and more.

The silence was broken by the sound of Ion and Asthe moving. Then the softer sound of the engine as the airship prepared to take off. Still they remained seated, gazes locked. Neither willing to speak. Abel couldn't make the promise. He couldn't make another promise he would break.

"Seriously?" Ion asked as the ship started to take off. "How long are you two just going to stare at one another.

"Perhaps, if you are not willing to willingly make such a promise, a wager is in order," Solomon broke the silence between himself and Abel.

Abel felt his eyes narrow. "Go on?" He had a feeling this would end up with a chess game. It had been the way the two of them talked in the past. Abel had taken to training Solomon in strategy which hadn't been too necessary given Solomon had already been with the military. Yet, after the time they had spent together, Abel had seen improvement as Solomon had learned how to face off against Lilith's forces. In the same moment, those chess games had been a moment he could just speak with his brother-in-law. A man he had never feared losing if the conversation turned to their interests rather than politics and the war or even their family.

"A chess game," Solomon stated, "if I win you will stop trying to do servant tasks."

"And if I win, it will be idle distraction?" Abel managed the slightest of smile. "As I have a feeling asking you to drop the subject would be asking for a minor miracle."

Solomon's eyes narrowed at Abel's wording. He stood. "I will see to the guests. Once they are secure we will have our game." He started to move off. "Stay here."

Abel looked at his old brother-in-law. "I'm not going to run away," he stated.

The sound of Solomon leaving to room followed.

Abel returned to his book. The secure of the empire had grown very complex since he had left. The noble families had grown, many could claim relation with the trusted five families. Abel was learning the trusted five were his closest friends and his sons from before he had left the empire. Their direct line comprised of those the empress appeared to trust the most. However, there were also family names Abel remembered well from his time as leader of the colony. All of the names were those he had some degree of trust in back then. Though, he didn't know any of the decendents as he did Asthe and Ion. It also appeared, or so he was finding through this book about nobility, the Barvon line had ended with Radu.

The sound of the other two shifting came to Abel. He heard more than saw them take the couch Solomon had abandoned. Neither spoke. The only sound came from the engine and the soft rustle as Abel turned a page in the book covering the nobility of the empire. The more he read, the more he noticed a few names were missing. Not everyone he had been close had become nobility. It made sense, especially given he had known the entire colony.

The ship landed, and it was only noticeable by the sound of the engines stopping. They would be loading those from the other reality soon.

"How are you the emperor?" Ion's question broke the silence.

"The entire colony decided it was good idea to vote someone into power who wasn't on the ballet," Abel replied as he continued to read. "Then never voted for another take the position. After eight years Arthur had the brilliant idea I should be a ruler given I never left office. Thus, emperor."

"Not what I meant," growled Ion. "How are _you_ of all people in the world, the first and only emperor?"

Abel turned another page in the book. He had answered Ion's question and figured the boy was more upset over how the empire now viewed Abel and having it turn out to be priest he had met. There was no way to answer this other than the answer Abel had previously given and what he suspected Solomon had told the boy.

"Put down the book and answer me!" Ion's voice crackled.

Abel looked over the book to see the boy was bristling. A small breath escaped Abel. He snapped the book closed. "I have given you the honest answer, Ion. If you want to know reasonings behind why I ended up the emperor, Solomon would be a better source of information. As for, my being a priest for a time, I assume Solomon has already informed you over this matter."

"He did," Asthe confirmed. She was frowning. "You're not acting the same."

"No," Abel gave bow of his head and reopened the book. "The previous pope had given me an order to act the fool. Caterina and I both agreed it did help humans to trust me and thus I kept up the act."

Ion bristled. "Can you set down the book?"

Abel did so and met the younger man's gaze.

Ion stiffened the moment their eyes made contact. The boy's gaze flickered to a point on the ground close to Abel. The smallest of movements showed Ion had shivered.

"Why did you let the empire think you were dead?" Asthe asked.

Abel turned her gaze on her. "I would assume it was to stop Barack, Alexander, and Athy from continuing the war to get me out of Vatican territory." It felt odd referring to Alexander by his first time. Abel had only ever called him "Barvon." The one time he had called Alexander by name, the man had stated it was creepy and he had liked being called "Barvon" by Abel. Seth had laughed and whispered to Abel it made Alexander feel like he was special given the only other Abel had called by surname was Arthur.

Asthe frowned. "It does make sense, the empire would have continued the war to retrieve the emperor from Vatican territory."

Ion didn't look up. "But that is the emperor we knew in history. You can't be him!" The boy's voice cracked as he gestured at Abel. His fangs flashed in the artificial light of the airship. "The emperor lived to protect his people. He led us through the civil war and the terran-Methuselah war. He was noble, kind, and ever there for his people. The father of our nation. You're just an idiot priest!"

Abel looked at the boy. He had spoken of Abel's with reverence rather than horror. It sounded as if the wars were little more than notes on a page. Which, he had to remind himself, to Ion they were. He had never experienced a war. Never held a friend as they died or felt the warmth of a loved one's blood coating his hands and arms. The wars were nothing more than history to the boy. The battles, deaths, and deeds committed all merely writing on a page. Just as the wars Abel had read about in history books had been. He had never spoken with a survivor of the war which had brought the UN to power. But he wondered now if it would feel the same to that survivor as Ion's words felt to him now.

The words cut through Abel. What he had done during the wars and after, he had done for his people, his friends, and family. He had never once imagined another one day read about what he had done during the war or the actions he and others had taken. He had never once viewed himself as worthy to be placed into a history text. Or considered his life history another would be taught.

Silence had fallen over them.

Ion slowly seemed to calm down when he realized Abel hadn't broken the silence to reply. The boy glanced at Asthe then back at Abel.

The airship started to rise once more. It showed those from the other timeline would have boarded by now.

A heartbeat later Solomon returned to the room. If he registered the change in atmosphere to the room, Solomon made no sign of it. He moved over to where a chess board was already set up on a table and started to move the pieces back into the starting positions.

"Abel?" Solomon gestured for him to join him at the table. The ex-head of military affairs settled himself down so he was playing black.

Abel stood and moved to the other seat at the table. It had been centuries he had played white. Generally, he had given Caterina white, or she had requested to play the color. Abel opened by moving the pawn before his king. Solomon countered by doing the same.

Ion and Asthe moved over to watch them.

"I bet you lose in two moves," Ion spoke in a smug voice.

Abel ingored Ion and asked Solomon, "Care for a king's gambit?" He moved another pawn to form such a play.

Solomon raised his brow. "Very well."

The game picked up from there. There was no denying Solomon had improved since the last time Abel had faced him. Abel also admitted the only one he played chess against was Caterina or from time to time against himself. Caterina had been good as she improved over the years, but she wasn't Solomon.

Abel soon had control of the middle of the board. Solomon kept moving to counter or even attack, heading towards or even away from Abel's king.

"I shouldn't have gained control of the middle of the board with such ease." Abel eyed his old friend. Solomon was aware of the strategies which came with the king's gambit. He should have made to cover the middle of the board before Abel, knowing full well a strong defense could make for a strong offense.

"You play far more defensively than you used to," Solomon stated in reply. "Your strategies are closer to Lilith's."

A spark of warm ignited in Abel's heart at the complement Solomon had just given him.

The game soon turned so Abel had lost the favor of the field. He was forced into a retreat with his king as Solomon pressed the attack. But Abel been ready for this. He had set a trap which his king the lure.

"Check," Solomon stated.

Abel moved in then. He countered the check, taking Solomon's queen and moving to protect the king in the same instance.

The game continued.

"Checkmate," Abel's voice broke the silence.

Solomon bowed his head and tipped the king. "It's been far too long since we last played." Solomon lifted his fallen king. "I must admit I never imagined you adopting some of Lilith's methods.

Abel gave Solomon what he hoped wasn't a sad smile. "Your own method of play has changed as well."

"Yet, I still lost." Solomon leaned back. "I suppose this means you will still attempt to act like a servant and help out."

Abel opened his mouth, ready to reply this when a shout cut him off.

"What?! I lost in two moves to you. Were you going easy on him or something, honored founder?"

Solomon glanced at Abel before looking at Ion. "No, Abel is just a far better player than yourself."

Ion opened his mouth and closed it before repeating.

"Care for another game?" Solomon asked as he turned his attention to Abel.

"As long as there is no wager on this one."

Solomon gave a dull smile. "That I can promise."

* * *

 **(Author's Note:** Sorry if any character is out of character. It has been a very long time since I have written _Trinity Blood_ as I have been focusing on my own works as of late. **)**


	9. To Blame?

The space echoed with the sound of muffled voices. Cain forced himself to focus on his friends gathered around him. Vaclav glanced at the people, his eyes a little narrowed while Noelle shifted.

"They're uneasy," Vaclav pointed out.

"I don't blame them," Noelle's eyes softened. "They have a right to be uneasy given the empire is the one helping us. Do you blame them Father Havel?" She turned her piercing gaze on Vaclav.

"It does sound like this empire is anything like the one in our reality," Cain pointed out.

"Of course it isn't." Noelle let out a breath and rubbed her eyes. "I still can't believe you and that man's positions are switched in this reality."

Cain averted his gaze from his friends. No matter the differences, blind trust was never wise.

"Do you believe they have taken us prisoner?" Vaclav voiced the question.

Cain followed his gaze to the two imperial guard flanking the stairs. "It certain does feel that way," Cain confessed. "That man, Baybars, asked us not to leave unless it was absolutely needed." Cain forced back the urge to scowl.

"What other choice did we have?" Noelle asked, her gaze moving between them. "Our people couldn't have lasted in the cave for much longer. We had little food and no means to get more."

"Then there was the ruminates of the empire staying with us." Vaclav's gaze darkened, his eyes flickered towards the wall crates separating the two groups.

"We can't afford mistrust," Cain started but trailed off. The words felt hallow to his own ears. He was the last person to preach this. No matter his blood relation from within the empire, he had suffered at the hands of the current empress and the one before her. At both Lilith's and Seth's hands. They had, after all, sold him to Albion so he could serve as a caged beast in the vainest hope it would buy peace and protect Abel, no, not Abel, 02, from the wrath of Albion and the Vatican.

The peace had failed and Cain had been used as a tool for war. A war which lasted for centuries before 02 had betrayed the empire and all human nations and Cain had been able to escape the clutches of Albion to find refuge in the Vatican.

After Seth had been killed in war against 02, Lilith had taken command of the empire.

"For now," Cain started, "what's important is our people have food and dry place to sleep. We can figure out what's happening and if we are prisoners later."

"True." Vaclav bowed his head. "And we are separated from them."

Several figures appeared from the other side of the crates. "Or not," Cain muttered. His eyes locked onto Lilly. "I'll speak with Lilly."

Cain moved to intercept his niece before she could get further onto their side of the room. "Lilly, what are you doing here?"

"Uncle Cain," none of her normal cheer was there, "it's about Bethy and I."

"What?" Cain pressed.

"Well, mother's people are, well, you see they don't want the two of us around, exactly." Lilly looked at the floor. Every part of her cheer was gone.

"They're still targeting Elizabeth?"

"And, now me. They think we're not capable of being trusted and we should bare the weight of our father's crimes."

It shouldn't have mattered anymore to the people. Just because their father had destroyed the world didn't make them at fault. Elizabeth, she had killed her father in the end. Lilly had never left the empire or her mother. Yet, the people had never come to view her as their princess and, most likely, never would.

"You've done nothing wrong, Lilly."

Lilly shook her head. "It doesn't matter to them, uncle. I just don't know what to do anymore. Mother can't keep protecting us. It's causing the people to turn against her."

There might be one who could protect them, but Cain didn't even know how this Abel viewed the girls. "We need to speak with the Abel of this reality. He might be able to protect the two of you."

"Yeah, well, I don't know what alt-dad thinks of us." Lilly grinned. "Let's give it a try, for Bethy!"

"And you."

Lilly just looked up at him.

"Let's go." Cain led the way to the two guards. "Can we speak with Baybars?" he asked the guard. It wouldn't be wise to ask after Abel just yet. Given he hadn't seen his brother of this reality since being taken aboard, he had a feeling Abel really was someone of importance in this reality. Perhaps he was even the emperor of the empire.

Cain bit back a snort. This seemed unlikely given Abel had been a priest when Cain had first run into him. Still, Abel was the only Cain knew he could turn to here. Ironic as this seemed.

The guard nodded and vanished. She returned a few moments later with Baybars.

"You wanted to speak with me?" The towering looked down at even Cain. His eyes never once left Cain.

"Lilly and Elizabeth," Cain started and specified, remembering Abel had said his daughters had died in this reality, "my nieces, are in danger from the people of my reality. They are being blamed for the actions of their father."

Baybars frowned. "Your nieces?" Silence lapsed over them before his eyes grew wide. "It can't be. Are you saying," he trailed off.

"My dad's name is Abel," Lilly stated with a small smile. "Can we speak with alt," she cut off and took a deep breath, "with him, please?"

Baybars looked at her. "What's your name?"

"Lilly Sahl."

"Sahl?"

"Yes."

"I see." Baybars bowed his head a little to Lilly. I confess I knew his majesty had daughters, but they died during the civil war."

"Can we speak with Abel?" Cain pressed.

"Yes. Come." Baybars gestured for them to follow him.

x – Abel – x

The soft tapping of chess pieces was broken only by the sounds of Ion and Asthe's soft chatter. The two of them had moved away from Abel and Solomon after the first game. A matter Abel was more than relieved about. He had wanted to ask Solomon what had become of those who weren't in the books.

"Can you tell me what became of Alain?" Abel broke the silence between himself and Solomon.

"He married. His descendents still serve Seth." Solomon moved his knight. "I suppose, now, you. One of his descendents requested to come and be assigned as your personal servant. I believe he had said it was away to honor Alain's wishes."

"Alian believed I dead, though?"

"He did."

Abel let out a breath. Alain had been the head of the servants who served Abel. The man had been far more than servant, but a part of Abel's family in many ways. Him, Ilka, and Cayla had all been like family.

"What about Ilka and Cayla?"

"Both married. Ilka's descendants still serve Seth. Cayla's are in service to the Fortuna family."

Abel smiled. It figured Cayla would follow Azul. She had been Aran's and Azul's servant after all. Ilka's descendants serving Seth made sense as well. She had been Seth's personal servant. From what Abel knew, servant families served one imperial family and were seen as being loyal to the household they served.

Abel let out a breath. He let the move he made on the chess board slip a little. The palace wouldn't be the same without those three around. He had trusted Alain, Ilka, and Cayla with lives of his family. To him they hadn't been "terran" but a part of the empire. His people. He had never known how they viewed him, but had always been grateful they and the rest of those humans who had joined the empire had stayed loyal to them after the war had broken out.

There was no sound of Solomon moving a chess piece.

Abel looked back at the board.

Solomon hadn't made a move. Instead he drew out a small package. It wasn't the case Abel seen him with earlier. Rather this one was just a small bag. "Here." Solomon held the bag out to Abel. "Seth and I kept these for you."

Abel took the bag and opened it. These were – he pulled out a framed picture. The image had faded grately since the last time Abel had laid eyes on it, but he could still make out those in the image. It had been taken during the civil war. It was him, surrounded by Arthur, Alexander, Solomon, Barack, Tabitha, Lilith, when she had still been pregnant, Sonya before she had passed from being shot and giving childbirth, Celia, Thema, and Kayson. Even Seth could be seen in the photo, standing closer to Solomon than anyone else there. Despite the fact she had been dating another at the time this photo had been taken.

Celia had been Alexander's wife and a member of the medical team. Abel remembered well both from being Alexander's friend and what he had heard of her in the medical field. Thema was Barack's wife and had been an excellent inventor. She had been the one to keep most of the crops alive back on Mars through her ingenuity. Then there was Sonya, Arthur's wife and Asthe's ancestor. An ache settled in Abel's heart and he remembered helping her deliver Athina, her and Arthur's daughter before she had passed.

Tabitha and Kayson Williams had been close friends during the civil war. They had died at the start of the Terran-Methuselah War, leaving behind a daughter and a son.

"I thought these would have been destroyed by now." Or kept elsewhere in the empire.

"We had to keep your identity a secret. So, all of us took the images you kept your office and stored them away.

Abel took out another picture. This one was a painting. It was an imagining of what he had believed his daughter would have looked like at the age of seven. He smiled, seeing Lilly with the his hair and Lilith's eyes as well as Elizabeth with his eyes and Lilith's hair. He hadn't been too far from what they did look like in the alt reality.

The two of them stood hand-in-hand, smiling out of the image at the on looker.

There were more pictures there. Most were over events leading up to the _Ark_ and the coronation which had taken place when they had first returned to Earth. The most tressured images though were the ones of his old friends which didn't show him in them. The only one he treasured, outside of the one from the war which showed everyone, which did show him was the one which showed Aran, Azul and himself right after he had adopted and Aran had been well enough to join his brother.

Abel was pulled from the images by the sound of others entering the room. He set the pictures back into the bag and looked towards the door.

Baybars led Cain and Lilly into the room.

Ion and Asthe watched the group but neither moved from where they sat. "Does that man look like the idiot or is it just me?" Ion hissed.

"He had a twin in our history, the emperor did," Asthe replied, voice just as low.

"But he's a traitor!"

Cain glanced towards them, showing he had heard Ion's outburst even if the rest had been lost on his brother… well, Abel's alt-brother as he should call him. Like the girls had taken to calling Abel "alt-dad." At least Lilly had.

"We need to talk," Cain started. He didn't even glance at Solomon.

"About?"

"You know I mentioned some of the people are upset with Bethy?" Lilly asked.

"Yes." Abel frowned. His heart flickered. When Lilly had last spoken about this, it sounded as if the people from the other reality wanted to kill Elizabeth. He had hoped helping them would sooth this, but Elizabeth had also not wanted his help on the matter.

"They still want to," Lilly confessed. There was nothing of cheery, smiling girl Abel had met the last few times. She didn't look Abel in the eye. "They also are after me," she whispered the confession.

"The people seem to think my nieces should suffer for the crimes their father committed in his place," Cain informed them. "There is little I can do to help them."

"What about Lilith?" Solomon inquired. "I can't imagine her just sitting back and letting someone kill her children."

"Mother is walking a fine line," Lilly confessed. "I fear the people are starting to turn on her as well."

"Could we move the three of them to a separate room?" Abel asked, looking at Solomon. It was a temporary solution. Still, he had yet to get to know the two girls. While he still had no right to ever call himself their father, he wanted to know what his daughters would have been like if they had lived. Perhaps it wasn't the same given 02 had control of him in their reality. But still…

Abel took a deep breath. It was better than never getting the chance in the first place.

"Baybars, have the servants prepare a few rooms for the three of them."

"Understood, Founder Solomon." Baybars bowed his head before he moved off to speak with a servant.

"Get your sister and mother, Lilly," Solomon instructed her.

Abel stood. "I'll go with you." He didn't want to find out something had happened to the three of them.

"No!" Lilly whipped around and held up her hand. Her eyes, so much like Lilith's, flashed with fear. "I mean, thank you, but no." She didn't look at him. "It would just cause problems."

"You do still have a few books to finish," Solomon reminded him. "I will help them." Solomon nodded to Abel and moved after Lilly to help her get her mother and sister.

It left Abel alone with Cain. Abel sank back down into his seat. Perhaps Lilly feared what the others from that reality's reactions would be to Abel appearing once more. It could very well be Abel was the very reason both of them had death threats leveled against them.

Was it possible he was the cause of their grief? It made sense. After all, it had been Abel's fault he had lost both of them in first place. Them and, later on, Lilith. If only he had stayed with Lilith instead of wallowing in the grief and lose of Sonya. Instead of placing work before his family. If he had arrived earlier to the _Ark_. If, there was nothing but ifs. He didn't know what would have happened if he had known what the Cain of his reality wanted, what his plans had been. Still, in the end, all of this was Abel's fault.

Abel didn't have a right to get to know Elizabeth and Lilly. The him of their reality had caused them enough problems. Who was he to think he even had a right to know them?

"What's your relation to that man?" Cain's question broke the silence.

"What?" Abel looked up. He had thought Cain would follow Solomon and Lilly.

"You two seem like more than just friends."

Abel frowned. "How so?" This didn't seem remotely important. Though, now Abel thought on it, this reminded him of something his brother would have asked before 01.

"It just seems like you're closer than friends."

"If you're implying," Abel started.

"Are you, well, you know, sleeping together?"

"No!" Abel shot down the idea. Abel couldn't believe Cain had just implied Abel and Solomon were lovers. "God, no. He's Seth's ex-husband."

Cain gaped. "What?"

"You honestly thought," Abel trailed off. "He's like a brother, Cain. Really?" Abel shook his head.

Cain scowled. His visible eye flashing. "Excuse me for asking. You two just seemed close, that's," Cain cut off, his eye widened. "Wait, 'like a brother.'"

"I did just say he was Seth's ex. Clean out your ears."

"Seth has a husband?"

"Had."

"Are you serious?"

"What she didn't have one in your reality?"

"Well, no."

"Really?"

"Yes." Cain frowned. "I'm shocked you didn't kill him. You were always more protective of Seth than I was."

Abel coughed.

"You did threaten him?" Cain smirked. "That seems more like you."

"He is a far better choice than her first boyfriend had been," Abel muttered. "And I just didn't like the idea of my sister dating. Unlike you who said 'go for it.'"

"I never said that!" Cain shot back. "I said 'tell whatever boy who tries to date you he has to deal with me if he messes with you,' not 'go for it!'"

"Same difference."

"At least I never threatened her to not date!"

"I didn't threaten her!"

"Oh, yeah, well I recall you said you would toss whatever boyfriend she got off the roof of the capital building."

Abel stiffened. He had done that to her first boyfriend. But he had harmed Seth by cheating on her after using her to gain more ranking in the colony.

Cain blinked then his eye glittered as he grinned. "You did just that, didn't you?"

"Not to Solomon," Abel stated. "And I don't see why it matters."

"All right, so what did this other guy in Seth's life do to piss you off?"

"He cheated on her."

"So your solution is to throw him off a building."

"There was a resavor below."

"You still threw him off a building."

"He deserved it."

Cain shook his head.

Abel laughed, though it felt hallow to him. It was old to have Cain back the way he had been before 01. It didn't feel right. In the same moment, it was far better than the Cain Abel had had grown used to.

"So, Seth didn't date in your reality?" Abel asked.

Cain shrugged. "If she did, I was never made aware of it."

"What's going on?" Ion chose just then to stick his nose in. The boy noble stood not too far from Cain now.

"I would like to know as well." Asthe moved to Ion's side. "Who are you? And who was that girl you were with?"

"I'm Father Cain Knightlord."

"Nightlord? You dare take the surname of our emperor!" Ion growled, bristling.

"Knight, with a 'k,'" Cain explained. "And what do you mean by an emperor?"

Abel stood. "Cain, why don't we talk away from this child?" Abel ignored Ion. He wanted nothing better than to move away from the two nobles and get to know his brother as he should have been rather than have to answer all of their questions instead.

"He didn't explain who he is or who that girl was." Asthe glared Abel.

Great, now Asthe was acting out.

"We're from a mirror reality," Cain explained. "I suppose, I should say I am the none insane version of his older twin," Cain pointed at Abel.

"Let me get this straight, you're saying your not insane, but say you're from a mirror reality?" Ion let out a small laugh and looked away from. "That is insane."

"Not if it's true," Cain pointed out. "But I don't need you to believe it." He shrugged. "The girl as you keep calling her, is one of my nieces. Lilly Sahl."

Sahl? Abel felt himself smile. It sounded right in their reality Elizabeth and Lilly took their mother's name and not his.

"Sahl?" Ion blinked.

Abel moved to Cain's side. "Let's go while he mulls it over."

Cain gave a small nod. His frown was enough to say he didn't think the two would believe Cain's story. They left the room.

"Listen, I should check on Lilith, Lilly, and Elizabeth. Perhaps we can talk later?" There was a hopeful note to Cain's voice.

Abel nodded. "All right." His heart sank. There was no point in asking if he could come as well. It was becoming clear he shouldn't try to get to know Lilly and Elizabeth.

Before Cain could respond, Abel continued off down the hall towards the room he had been given for the trip to the empire. The room was massive, by all standards he had lived by in the past eight centuries. Abel sank to the floor, not interested in looking around the space or thinking about his new status. What mattered right then, was despite his family coming back to life or not being insane, it was looking more and more like they wanted nothing to do with.

A matter he couldn't blame them for.

* * *

 **(Author's Note:** The part with Cain is a little short. Thank you to everyone who has been sticking with this and all other stories. **)**


	10. Painting of Sorrow

Abel had settled himself at the small table in his room. A few of the pictures Solomon had given to him were out on the table, tucked to one side, but he held the one which showed him with his sons not long after he had adopted them. It had been so long since he had a picture of his boys when they had been children. He had many of Aran and his family before all but Aran's eldest had been killed. There was only one image of Azul, his wife, and son.

But none of his boys as they had been children and teens.

All these pictures were spread out on the table.

These images were as close to seeing his sons as Abel would ever be able to get again. He traced his sons' faces one at a time. An ache settled in his heart. Like with so many he had lost, it was hard to remember their voices. He could grasp their personality, see their smiles and remember many moments with his sons, but he couldn't remember the sound of their voice.

Abel closed his eyes. He wanted nothing more than to remember the sounds of Aran's soft; yet, stern tones when he had gotten older. Or even the timid nature he had as a child which had been reflected in his voice. Every time he tried to grasp at the sound, it trickled away.

The same went with the energy Azul had always displayed.

A soft knock cut through Abel's thoughts and attempts to remember. He let out a breath and set down the framed picture in the center of those spread out on the table. Perhaps it was for the best he didn't try to dwell on this matter. It could be he was only attempting to remember because Elizabeth and Lilly were alive in the other reality.

Abel crossed the room and opened the door. He blinked. This was the last person he had expected to see. The Lilith of the other reality stood before him.

"We need to talk." She gestured into the room. "May I?"

Abel stepped to one side.

Lilith strode into the room. She crossed over to the table and settled herself in the chair Abel had abandoned. He moved to the bed and sat there. "What did you want to talk about?" Abel kept his voice even. Pain sliced deeper into his heart.

His gaze flickered to one of the pictures on the table. It was more than half hidden by the others, but it showed Lilith with a child Aran. He had pulled it out from behind the one which had Abel with the boys. It was where he had hidden it centuries ago. The only picture of his love with one of their sons. Lilith, his Lilith, had never met Azul because of the war. But Aran. Little Aran had followed Abel to one of the meetings with Lilith. He had joined Abel a few more times, growing close enough to see Lilith as his mother.

"I know Lilly and Cain came to you over what's happening and while I appreciate what you've done, I need to know if you're doing this because you want my daughters to see you as their father." Lilith's gaze was even as their eyes locked.

The words cut through him. Not because they came to him from Lilith's voice, but because he had thought he had no right to know the two girls as it was. Abel forced himself to continue looking into the same eyes of the woman he had loved. They were colder than the ones he had known so well. This wasn't his beloved. She was what her reality had made her. What 02 had made her. His failings in that reality had destroyed the gentle, warm, compassionate woman who had held his heart for centuries even in death.

Abel forced himself to breathe. It was true then. They wanted nothing to do with him. To them he was still the man who had caused them so much grief. He had no right to know the girls. He had no right to know any of them.

"I understand," Abel stated after a moment. "I won't intrude on you or your daughters. I only acted because Lilly requested aid." It was a lie. He had acted for both the fact she had asked and because she was what his daughter might have been if she had been given a chance at life.

"You," Lilith cut off. A frown appeared on her beautiful, pale features. "What?"

Abel took a deep breath. It shuddered through him, mingling with the pain swelling in his heart. "I lost you and my children long ago," his voice cracked. He swallowed back the rising pain. She didn't need to hear his regret and pain. All she wanted was assurance he wouldn't interfere with her family. "I know they aren't my children," his voice was now steady, "and you aren't the Lilith I lost. Neither am I the person you knew," he continued. Her eyes were daggers piercing deeper into his own. He couldn't look away.

The frown deepened on her features. "I figured I would have to argue with you over this matter. At least you understand to stay away from my daughters." She touched the table as she made to stand. Her gaze slid from Abel to the pictures her hand now touched.

"I do." Abel stood.

Lilith's fingers trailed across the top image, her gaze locked on it.

"If there's nothing else," – he gestured towards the door – "perhaps you should rejoin your daughters and Cain."

"Who are these two?" she asked as she lifted the image. It was the framed one of Aran and Azul a month after Abel had adopted them.

Abel stiffened. A chill trickled down his spin. "My sons," he responded, tone terse.

" _Your_ sons." Lilith looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "They look like Zoe's and Ron's boys."

His jaw ached as it tightened. "They're my sons, not Zoe's and especially not Ron's," the words slipped from him as a growl. "I raised them, not that—" he cut off and took a deep breath. The fire which had flared through him eased back. There was no need for him to get upset. This Lilith wasn't excepted to know any of this.

Lilith set down the framed picture a small frown on her face.

His heart froze. She was looking at the barely visible one which had her in it.

She made for the image. Abel moved forward to try and snag it, but too late.

Lilith lifted the image. Her eyes widened. "This is," the words came as a breath.

Words lodged in his throat. She looked at the image as if it were foreign which to her it would have been. There was nothing in her which reminded him of the woman who held Aran in the picture.

His lungs tightened. He couldn't breathe as he watched her. The picture not only showed Lilith but the table behind her which held his imperial cape with her cross over it and his hat resting off to the side. It was the one picture Lilith had let him take at their secret meetings so when the war was over and if they were ever to be together again they would have one picture of her with one of Abel's sons as a child. Such dreams had vanished when Cain had killed her.

"Please," Abel let the word out as a strained breath. He held out his hand. "Please, give me the picture." It couldn't get damaged. His heart lurched. If it was he would lose the only image of his beloved with Aran. The only image he had of her from those peace meetings. The last picture ever taken of her.

The Lilith from the other reality tore her gaze from the image.

"Please," Abel repeated. He took a careful step towards this Lilith. He held out his hand.

She hesitated. Her gaze moved back to the image.

Abel's lungs screamed for air.

"It's really that important to you?" she asked.

Abel nodded. His gaze lingered on the image held in her hand.

Lilith held out the picture to him.

His hand shook as he took the image from her. "Thank you," the words slipped from his lips with the pent-up air from his lungs.

"Why is it so important?"

Abel took the framed picture of him with his sons and slipped the picture of Lilith in behind it. "It's the only one of her with Aran," Abel told a half truth.

Lilith raised her eyebrows. It was a clear sign she didn't believe him. "Really? Is that the only reason you were freaked I was holding it?"

"Does it matter?" Abel asked. He tucked the image in behind the one of him and his sons. He started to pick up the pictures, careful not to damage any of them. He lifted the painting of the girls.

"What is that?" The image was snagged from him faster than he could react.

A small breath fled Abel. It seemed this Lilith wasn't going to just be content he had agreed to leave them alone. "A painting," he retorted. "If you won't mind," Abel held out his hand for the painting.

"You said your daughters died and there is no way you could commission such an image so fast. Did you lie?" Lilith glared at him over the framed picture of the two ten-year-old girls.

"No," Abel stated. "I painted that image a few weeks after the tenth anniversary of their death." He forced himself swallow back the pain. "Please, give it back." He didn't want to tell her he had just placed another, even more faded painting the girls behind the frame.

Lilith made no move to give it back. She shifted her hand and frowned.

Air froze in Abel's lungs as she pulled out an almost identical painting which was framed behind that one. She must have had grabbed both when she had taken them from him. This one showed the girls but they were slightly different from the older painting. It had been by request of his beloved he had painted both with his eyes instead of giving Lilly her eyes as he had done in the original painting. Lilith, his Lilith, had learned he had once drawn and painted images of their daughters to coup with losing them. She had requested one such image from him at one of their secret meetings. Abel had recovered the painting upon being taken as a slave to the Vatican. Or more over, Pope Gregory had given Abel the painting along with the rest of his beloved's personal affects.

"Blue eyes?" Lilith breathed as she looked at the image Abel had so lovingly painted for his beloved. For the Lilith he knew and not this one.

Pain stabbed deep into his heart. There was nothing of his love in this woman.

"Please," Abel repeated.

"Why do they have blue eyes in this one?"

"Because Lilith requested it," Abel whispered the words. "I painted that one for her."

She set down the image Abel had painted for his Lilith. There was no move to set down the other painting. "Would you mind if I took t his one?"

"Yes, I would." Abel's eyes narrowed.

"Not forever, just to show my girls." For the first time since meeting this Lilith, she looked at him and gave him a warm smile. A smile he remembered from his Lilith.

His heart flickered. Yet, she had told him he had no right to know them. So why should he let them see a picture he had painted?

"No. Give it back, please." Abel held out his hand once more.

Lilith made no move to pass it to him. She clutched the image closer to chest.

Abel let out a breath. "Please." He locked gazes with hers.

"Just for a day. I will return it," she promised.

Abel's heart flickered. "Fine," the word fell from his lips as a pained breath. "Just a day." His hand lowered. Each beat of his heart was someone ripping deeper into his chest. His gaze lingered on the image clutched to the alt Lilith's chest.

"Thank you." Lilith bowed her head to him. Strands of her far too short hair fell around her face. She strode from the room.

The sound of the door closing echoed through Abel, piercing deep into his heart.

x – Elizabeth – x

Elizabeth stared at the ceiling of the small room she shared with Lilly and her mother. The three beds were evenly spaced in the small room. It opened up a little closer to the door with a small space for a toilet and bathroom. It wasn't the best of rooms but all they could be given on such short notice, according to Solomon at least. It was either that or they would be sleeping with the yeniçeri or servants. Neither option applied much to her mother.

"This is so boring," Lilly complained as she stretched on her bed. The sound of her shifting came to Elizabeth. "Bethy, why don't we explore the ship?"

"No." Elizabeth watched the shadows shift across the ceiling.

"Mom might be awhile while she talks to alt dad. We could be back in the blink of an eye."

"You go."

Had their alt father done all of this out of the kindness of his heart? If not, then why hadn't Elizabeth seen him again? Could he be after something from all of them? It didn't seem like the man she had met a few times now. He was kind where 02 was bloody. Silent where 02 would have raged. There was nothing of 02 in him when she spoke with him. Even the scent of blood when he drank it was mild in comparison. He smelled more of the earth and the raw ionized air of lightening than the blood 02 had smelled of.

"But it's no fun by myself," Lilly complained. "Come on!" The sound of her leaping to her feet filled the air. "It will just be for a little while."

Maybe this alt father wanted to get to know Elizabeth and Lilly. Elizabeth's heart fluttered. Her lips twitched into a smile. It would be a dream come true if this was so. She would be able to get to know how her father should have been and not the man who had been consumed by 02.

After so many centuries of wandering and trying Elizabeth could at last get to know the version of her father he should have been. The smile grew on her face. Given he was acting to protect them, perhaps, just perhaps he viewed them as family and not just a family from another dimension.

The soft sound of Lilly moving came to Elizabeth. "Come on, before mom gets back."

Yet, Elizabeth would have to wait until their mother had spoken with their father, alt father. No, she should call him father. He wasn't alt at all. He was what their father should have been. The father who would have loved them rather than 02 who had viewed her as only a tool to aid in his destruction of the world.

Lilly's footsteps were close to the door now.

The door opened.

Lilly yelped. "Mom!"

"Where do you think you're going?"

"To see the ship," Lilly stated without hesitation.

"I told you to stay here."

"I'm not a kid anymore," Lilly groaned.

Elizabeth tilted her head back to see her twin and mother.

Pain flickered over Lilith's face. The words had always affected their mother.

"Just let me explore a little. Promise I won't go back down to the others or anything like that."

"Not right now." Lilith gestured to Lilly and crossed the room to where Elizabeth lay. "I have something to show the both of you."

Elizabeth's gaze flickered to the painting in her mother's hand. It was moved such that Elizabeth couldn't make out much outside of the back.

She straightened to make room on the bed for her mother sister. "You went to see fa- the father of this reality," Elizabeth corrected herself. "What did he have to say?" her heart flickered. Perhaps he wanted to speak with them.

Lilith's eyes darkened. Pain flickered over her eyes. She settled herself next to Elizabeth on the bed. "Lilly, join us." She patted the spot on her other side.

"Fine." Lilly settled herself on the bed. "What's that?" she pointed at the painting Lilith held.

"What I wanted to show you." Lilith turned the image, so they could see it. It was a painting.

"It's us!" Lilly exclaimed. "Where did you get this, mom? I've never seen a painting of Bethy and I at this age."

"The Abel of this reality."

"From alt-dad?" Lilly frowned. "But he said we died in your womb, right? So, how did he knew what we looked like?"

"I guess he lied." Pain glittered in her mother's eyes.

"Lied?" Elizabeth stared at the painting. He had seemed so earnest, so heartbroken when he had spoken about what had happened to the two of them in this reality.

"I'm so sorry, Elizabeth." Her mother drew her into an embrace.

If he had lied about them dying, then just what else was he lying about?

"May I," Elizabeth swallowed passed her horror, "may I see the painting?"

Lilith passed her the painting. Elizabeth's hands trembled as she took it. The image was old. She could tell this much by the wear on the frame alone. Had he really lied to them?

Her eyes burned as she ran her hand down the frame. She blinked. Her hand brushed something smoother than the back of the frame. Elizabeth turned the image over.

Unfamiliar handwriting was painted onto the back of the frame.

"'Never forget August eighth twenty-one eighteen,'" she whispered the message. That was less than a month before she and Lilly had been born. "'The day light died.'"

Below this was another message: An imaging of my little lights.

This wasn't what had drawn her to the back of the picture however. She looked at the corner hand rested at. There was a piece of an old photo sticking out from the frame. Elizabeth carefully pulled the picture from the frame.

In her mother's handwriting were three names: Abel, Lilith, and Seth, July 2118.

Below this, written in the same unfamiliar handwriting were the words: My lights due September 9, 2118.

Elizabeth flipped the photo. Her mother opened. Abel stood, holding their pregnant mother in his arms. Their aunt grinned as she touched Lilith's belly. Seth wasn't looking out of the photo at all.

"What is it?" Lilly demanded, drawing Elizabeth from the images.

"Mother, was there ever a photo of you while pregnant with us with dad and Aunt Seth?" Elizabeth asked.

"No, why?"

Elizabeth held out the photo to her mother.

Lilith took it and stared at the image.

"You look so happy, mom," Lilly commented. "As does alt-dad."

"My light?" Elizabeth whispered the phrasing on the back of both the painting and the photo. Her eyes widened. "He wasn't lying."

"What?" Lilly asked, frowning.

"On the back of the photo, there is handwriting I think is from alt father," Elizabeth started to explain. "He calls us his lights and there is a due date. Granted we were born premature, but still. Then on the back of the photo there is another message saying to never forget another date with the words the day the light died and the last stating this painting is an imaging of his light. We weren't born at all. He didn't lie."

Their mother didn't look away from the photo.

"So, alt-dad really did loss us in this reality." Lilly's smile melted from her face. "I'd hoped it was a lie. It just seems too depressing to loss a child, let alone two and then to also loss mom." She glanced at the photo. "Especially with how happy alt-dad looks in that photo."

Their mother's eyes widened.

"Did you forget he mentioned you died, mother?" Elizabether asked, voice soft. She touched her mother's arm.

Lilith stood. "We should all get some sleep."

"But—"

"Neither of you have been sleeping well since this started. We could all do with one night's rest."

Elizabeth hesitated. Her gaze locked onto the painting. "Mother, did father paint this?"

Lilith paused and bowed her head. "He said he did."

Elizabeth held to the painting even as she got back into bed. Even if this had been painted years after their death, it had to have been painful. Their father would have been drawing up what had to have been pain filled memories. She clutched the painting to her as if it were stuffed toy and she a child once more. There was no need for their father to be in pain anymore. She wouldn't leave him alone.

He had a family now.

* * *

 **(Author's Note:** The Lilith of the other reality is supposed to be different from the one we all know and love. Much of her motivations are rooted in keeping her daughter's safe rather than the world. I don't know why, but I am having Abel calling the girls his light. **)**


	11. Bethy's Hope

**Replies to Guest Reviews are at the end of the chapter.**

* * *

The soft sounds of Lilly and Lilith sleeping filled the small room. Elizabeth stared at the painting of her and her sister. Her finger traced the warn frame. Even after all 02 had put her and Lilly through as children and through adulthood it was more than clear her father, the one of this reality, wasn't 02. He also wasn't the man she had pictured her father being if 02 had never taken him. There was no telling the full differences between her home reality and this one. The only way was to get to know him.

Elizabeth looked at herself in the painting. An imagining her as a child, smiling and happy. Her heart tore. What would it have been like if she and Lilly had lived with a father who had never been taken by 02? What would it have meant for him and for them? For their mother? It was more than clear her mother disliked 02 for everything they had done to Lilly and Elizabeth as well as the pain they had put Lilith through. Still, perhaps this was a chance to really have family. For her mother, Lilly and perhaps even Elizabeth.

A snore came from Lilly.

Elizabeth glanced at her sister before her gaze moved to her mother. It was obvious Lilith was fast asleep. Her mother's shoulders rose and fell at steady pace rather than being ridge as if she were listening for one of them to sneak out.

This was Elizabeth's chance.

She stood.

Perhaps leaving wasn't wise, but Elizabeth wanted nothing more than speak with her father. To see if he was willing to have a family. To just get to know the three of them and try.

Elizabeth slipped from the room. She held her breath as she shut the door behind her. Not even the softest of taps could be heard as she closed the door. Her shoes made little sound against the metal flooring as she moved through the halls. There were few guards here.

Where would Abel even be?

Elizabeth paused and glanced around the halls. Perhaps closer to the bridge or the commons area. Though it was late by imperial time. Granted, this was assuming imperial time worked the same as it did in her reality where it was flipped compared to terran time.

The thought tickled at her as she moved through the halls towards the commons area of the ship.

"—must."

A voice drew her to a stop. It sounded like the man who didn't exist in her reality. The man who was close to her father of this reality. Solomon had been his name. Or something like that.

"No," the reply was smooth and calm.

Elizabeth's eyes widened. It was her father. She moved down the hall towards the open door where the voices were coming from. It wasn't the commons space on the ship, so it was most likely someone's room during the return trip to the empire.

"There is no 'must' about it, Solomon. My answer remains the same, no!"

Elizabeth stopped just out of sight from the door.

No, to what? She frowned. There was so much no one knew about this reality, including her father's role in this world. It had seemed he and Uncle Cain's positions had been swapped, but then why had the empire been showing far more interest in her father than her uncle? It didn't follow. If it was the same, then her aunt would want nothing to do with her father over the lose of her uncle instead of it being where her aunt had wanted nothing to do with Cain over the lose of Abel to 02.

Heartbeats passed in utter silence.

"You don't have a choice in the matter, Abel," Solomon continued. "I know Lilith would never have wanted you to wallow in her death or have had sold your freedom to the Vatican for peace."

Silence.

"Our Lilith," Solomon stressed the two words.

"You don't know that. No one can know what she wanted outside of a lasting peace between the empire and Vatican." A deep hollowness had settled into Abel's voice.

This reality's Lilith? Elizabeth's heart raced. All she knew about her mother of this reality was she was dead and had her dad throughout the pregnancy unlike her mother. There was also the fact her uncle had killed her at a peace meeting. But whatever they were discussing seemed far deeper than that.

"I do." The soft sound of stone against stone came to Elizabeth. "Lilith asked for me to watch over you and Seth."

Rustling of clothing followed the words. Abel gave a hollow laugh. "Just because she wanted you to watch over us doesn't mean she wanted me to return to the throne."

Elizabeth gasped. She clapped her hand over her mouth.

Throne? Did this mean her father was – could he be the – no! It was impossible. The only rulers of the empire were her aunt and her mother. Her uncle had never ruled and thus her father couldn't have, could he?

"Ah, I figured we had an eavesdropper."

Elizabeth jumped, heart pounding. Solomon had stepped out from the room.

"I," Elizabeth stammered, "just wanted to return to this to father." She held out the painting her mother had taken.

Solomon looked at the image. He gestured for her to follow him.

It was a bedroom but unlike the one she, her sister, and mother had all been given, it was extravagant. Fine sheets covered the lone bed in the room. At the foot of the bed was a space with a table where two chairs had been placed. A chessboard was out on the table. The game looked to be in the beginning with one white pawn and a black knight having been moved.

Her heart flickered.

In the seat facing towards the door sat her father. His pale gaze locked on her. There was no anger in his gaze at having caught her listening in. Her shoulders relaxed. There was nothing to fear from him. He wasn't 02 after all.

"Sorry for interrupting," Elizabeth started. She moved a little closer to her father. "But, I couldn't sleep and wanted to thank you for letting us see this." She lifted the painting, so he could take it.

A gloved hand took the frame, his finger brushed hers. The touch light, almost timid. That of a crusnik holding back so as not to injure a terran.

His eyes softened at the sight of the painted image. "Thank you." Abel nodded to her.

This was it. Her chance to see if he wanted to be a family. Her tongue felt as stone, mouth dry. She took a deep breath.

"Um." Elizabeth shifted, looking at the floor. She took deep breath and forced herself to look into his narrow, familiar features. "Would you like to try to be a family?" She blurted out the question.

Abel's eyes widened.

Elizabeth shifted and dropped her gaze. What had she excepted? Him to leap at the chance? Her heart fluttered. From what she had seen on the back of the picture, perhaps this was the reaction she had hoped for. Yet, she didn't know him. She closed her eyes. This much was very clear in the way he had reacted. She knew nothing about her father. Her real father.

"Your mother might not like the idea," Abel started.

This was true. Elizabeth had no idea what her mother thought of him. Lilith hated 02 for taking her love from her and destroying him. But this man wasn't 02. He was everything Abel should have been if he had never fallen to 02 in the first place.

"Mother might just need time to realize you're not the same person," Elizabeth muttered. Her hand balled into a fist. She forced herself to look away from the floor. "Both Lilly and I are adults. She is our mother, yes, but we can decide on if we want to get to know our real father." She couldn't look him in the eye. No matter how determined her words were she didn't want to see his disappointment or unwillingness to try to be a family.

The sound of chair moving, made her look back at him. Abel had stood. His hand touched her shoulder before he rested it there. The weight felt right.

"If this is what you want, then I would love getting to know you," Abel stated. A smile warmed his pale features. His eyes even sparked a little with the light of the smile instead of remaining dull and pained.

The words washed over Elizabeth until the room spun around her. "I would like that, father." She smiled at him. This was right. It was what was supposed to happen. Not the blood-filled mess she had left in her reality.

He stared at her.

"We'll be arriving in the empire come morning," Solomon's even voice broke the silence and the shocked stare her father was giving her.

"Right." Abel turned to her and smiled. "You should try to sleep a little." This time, the smile didn't reach his eyes. It was fake. The pain had returned to his eyes.

"Thank you." Elizabeth returned the smile.

It wasn't long before Elizabeth was closing the door back into the chamber. Tomorrow. Her smile grew.

x – Abel – x

This wasn't wise.

Abel glanced at Cain, Lilith, and the girls.

This really wasn't wise. From the way Baybars had reacted to Cain, there were bound to be many people who remembered his betrayal to the empire. Yet – Abel's gaze skimmed the crowd beyond the carriage – none of those they had passed on their way to the carriage had recognized Cain.

It was just as it was when Abel had come as a messenger of the Vatican. No one recognized him. Abel hadn't been removed from history, this much was clear by how the count and duchess spoke of his past. Perhaps the pictures of him and his first name had been. Still, not many could put Abel Nightlord, the first and only emperor, with Abel Nightroad, the wandering, idiot priest. As Asthe and Ion had shown when they had first discovered who he really was.

The trip to the empire had been far less eventful than the last time Abel had come here. At least, this time he wouldn't being grabbing Esther and Ion before leaping out of a window to avoid being blown up. Or trying to evade the yeniçeri.

Abel eyed Baybars.

After all, Baybars was already with him.

The eventfulness would be missed. With his return to the empire, Abel doubted he would ever have such action again. It wasn't seen as right for members of the imperial family to place themselves in danger unless was absolutely necessary as he had seen with what happened during the last time he was here.

A small breath escaped him as he turned his gaze back on the dark streets. This had once been his home. Perhaps it still was. It was where the last of his family lived. A family he had missed dearly over the past eight hundred years.

Solomon's gaze locked onto him.

Abel gave him a small smile. "Just hoping it's not as eventful as the last time I was here."

Asthe shook her head.

"I promise you won't be leaping through windows and off a cliff while carrying the duchess this time," Solomon stated.

Of course he had seen that.

Asthe coughed. "Sorry about the damage to your estate."

Solomon looked at her. "That was the least of my concern and it wasn't my estate at the time."

"Oooo," – Lilly leaned forward, eyes gleaming – "sounds like there's a good story here. Do tell." She clapped her hands together. "Please."

A scowl twitched at the edge of Asthe's lips. "Tch."

"A story for another time," Solomon stated as the carriage jarred to a stop. The doors opened and Solomon was the first to exit.

"Oh, come on!" Lilly exclaimed. "It sounded like an exciting story."

Asthe shot a look at Lilly before following Solomon.

Ion followed without a word.

"Exciting," Abel muttered. He let out a breath. Perhaps as a story it would have been.

There was no returning to the outer as Abel had been. No going back. Not unless he wanted the peace Lilith had died for to never come.

Abel followed the count out of the carriage.

The group moved into the palace, following behind Solomon. He stopped at one of the side rooms of the palace. "You will wait here for her Majesty." His gaze rested on the four from the other reality.

"Why can't we just come with you to see her?" Lilly asked.

Cain looked at her.

"What? It's a valid question."

"I need to explain the situation to her," Solomon stated.

"Besides we need to deliver our report on the mission," Asthe huffed a little. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at Lilly.

"We understand." Lilith smiled at Asthe.

Abel's heart flickered. The warmth of the smile didn't reach Lilith's golden eyes. He turned from her. She wasn't the woman he had lost. She wasn't. What she was, was what 02 had made her.

"Thank you." Cain bowed his head to Solomon. He stirred Lilly into the room behind Lilith.

"But," Lilly complained.

"Enough," Cain told her in a soft voice. "You will see Seth soon enough."

"Fine."

The sound of the doors closing echoed through the near empty halls. A few of the yeniçeri lined the halls and servants could just be seen darting out of their way as Solomon led them through the all too familiar halls. Familiar and foreign in the same moment. Tapestries covered once barren walls. The differences hadn't been enough to make Abel feel lost the last time he had been within the palace walls.

The throne room came into sight.

It had only been a few months since he had last seen his sister. He had told her then he wouldn't live in the empire because all he had done. Yet, this had never been the full truth. It had been to keep his final promise to Lilith. A matter Seth had been well aware of.

Abel paused before the doors with the other three. He took a deep breath.

The doors opened, letting light flitter into the room. The soft sounds of running water greeted his ears. Trees loomed over them in an elegant line to the flower shaped throne at the far end of the room.

Solomon set off across the room towards where the unmistakable figure of Seth sat erect on the throne. Her hat lay beside her on the throne. Green gaze locked on all five of them as they approached.

As one, Asthe, Ion, Baybars, and Solomon bowed to Seth.

Abel hesitated.

He wasn't the emperor and thus not of equal rank to his sister. He wasn't sure what his standing was outside of being her brother.

Seth's eyes narrowed as his locked on hers. It was as if she was saying "if you bow to me, I'll kill you."

Light glittered in her eyes as a smile spread across her face. "Welcome home, dear brother." Her gaze shifted to Solomon. "How did the meeting go with Cardinal Sforza?" There was nothing of her normal playful tone. She was the empress and nothing more in this moment.

"It was cut short as she had to travel to Albion."

Seth tilted her head a little.

Abel only half listened as Solomon recounted what had happened after he and the other three had departed.

"I'm not surprised Esther turned out to be a princess." Seth's eyes flashed to Abel.

Abel returned her look.

Her gaze shifted back to the others. "Count of Memphis, Duchess of Keiv, thank you both for your hard work. I believe the Duke of Tigris is right and we should look into peace talks with Albion as well."

Ion straightened.

Asthe bowed lower.

"You're both dismissed." Seth lifted her arm.

The two bowed. Asthe cast a glance at Abel while Ion's gaze only flashed in his direction. The sound of the doors closing came to them.

A grin replaced Seth's reserved expression. She leapt off the throne, the motion more a kin to the thirteen year old she appeared to be rather than her true age.

"I'm glad you're home." She ran up to Abel and embraced him. "After our last conversation, I feared you wouldn't accept the terms of the peace treaty with the Vatican." Her grip tightened on the back of his shirt.

"There is another matter," Solomon started as he stood.

Seth released Abel and turned to him. "About the others? I was getting there, a moment to say 'hi' to him first would be nice though."

"No, forgive me, my love. It's a matter unrelated to them but related to what happened in Albion." Solomon gave the slightest of bows.

Seth placed her hands on her hips.

"Abel, if you would?" Solomon gestured for Abel to start the story.

Abel told Seth about what had happened, starting with how he had picked up the scent of someone he knew to be dead. He ended with them bringing the group here.

Seth frowned. "It was for the best," she agreed. "Are you certain they're from another reality? It could be one of _his_ tricks."

"I am," Abel stated. "The alt Cain fought along side me against _him_."

"I checked the device which brought them here as well," Solomon informed her. "They aren't from our dimension."

A small breath escaped Seth. She bowed her head. "No matter how much I want to see them, there are others we need to see to first as we've kept them waiting long enough. They would be interested in those from the other dimension as well."

A frown tugged at Abel's lips. What could be more important then seeing those from another reality?

"This way." Seth smiled over her shoulder. "And I had better not catch you trying to sneak off, dear brother. They've been waiting for you, after all."

This just kept getting stranger. Abel let out a breath and fell in beside his sister.

"It is good to see you again, sister." Abel smiled down at her.

"I'm just happy you're home again." She returned his smile. "We'll have time to catch up tonight."

Servants opened a door into a dining room within the palace.

Abel froze just in the door. His heart stopped, eyes locked on those within.

It couldn't be.

* * *

 **(Author's Note:** Finally a Trinity Blood update. It took far too long to finish this chapter. **)**

* * *

 **Replies to Reviews below:**

 **Sayu-chan93:** I am glad you enjoyed the chapter. I must admit to enjoying Bethy as well. Thank you so much for the review.

 **Guest from ch9 on Mar 13** **th** **:** Sorry for not replying in the last chapter. One I forgot and two it took me awhile to translate the review. I am glad and very happy to hear you like all my stories. Thank you so much for the compliment and sorry for being so slow at updating them. No worries about not replying in English it's what google translate is for. Thank you for the review.

 **Guest from ch9 on Mar 21** **st** **:** Sorry for not replying in the last chapter, as I told the other guest reviewer, I forgot. Yes, I am still writing Trinity Blood. It sometimes takes me awhile to get around to it, but I do enjoy writing fan-fiction to interact with the fanbase and because I still really love the Trinity Blood series. I am glad you keep coming back to see if there have been updates.

As for if there will be a book 4, not to the old Vehemens, but I am working on rewriting the series. It's why there is a version of _Divergent Path_ which says old and another which says "rewrite" as well as the fact now _Winter Rose_ and _Vehemens_ both say "old" next to them. There are five books planned (it just might take me a while to write them): _Divergent Path_ (which is done), _Dawn of the Empire_ (in-progress), _Winter Rose_ , _Trinity_ (the rewrite of the original _Vehemens_ ) and _Vehemens_ , So, yes, eventually there will be a book "4." I wasn't happy with a few things in the original VV and some of the back story has changed. There is also a prequel series which focuses on Isaak and the lead up into _Divergent Path_ but that one is going even slower than _Dawn of the Empire_. I hope that answered all of your questions.

Thank you and thank you for the review.


End file.
